Go grab your fun boots! There are friends to be made, stories to weave and kites to fly. It’s time to learn something new together. And stay connected. Until the next camp.

Welcome to Autism Camp TV.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Put the kids to bed, pop some popcorn, grab the tissues and settle in for this 90’s cult classic set in small town Midwestern America. You’ll swoon over the iconic 90’s rising stars. Johnny Depp, who plays the sombre but caring Gilbert, the mesmerising Juliet Lewis as Becky and the remarkable Leonardo DiCaprio as the loveable Autistic youngster Arnie. The film provides such a realistic depiction of a family struggling to overcome the grief of losing their Father, while juggling the challenges that caring for Arnie, each other and their house bound mother present. The tears really roll as you empathise with Gilbert and his sisters, as they face the relatable weight of balancing selflessness and selfishness. While Arnie and his fondness for climbing the town’s dangerously high water tower is for the most part accepted in the community, the family still face mountains of discrimination and judgment in this small town.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape isn’t an easy watch for everyone, but it’s quirky, beautifully shot and refreshingly real. A great film for older teens, parents and caregivers facing adversity to relate to, and a great film for anyone needing a reality check.

Screening on YouTube (PG)

Ausome Movie Top Tip
Look At Me (2019)

Look at Me tells the story of a Tunisian immigrant and his son Youssef. Youssef is nine when his mother has a stroke. This would be difficult enough for most children but Youssef is autistic and struggles to communicate or be understood.

The result is a moving family drama about feelings of guilt, forgiveness, ethics and second chances. Nejib Belkadhi adopts a sincere filmmaker's view of autism, without falling into the trap of victimising people with autism.

The film beautifully depicts the mess, the anger and the frustration of life. The depth and complexity of the characters and their relationship giving the film its power.

This is a well crafted, thoughtful and absorbing film about reckoning with difficult realities and finding a place in the world.

Screening on SBS until the 19th December, 2020 (M)

Art Therapy with Karma Barnes
Comfort Box

Art Therapy can help you explore your emotions and develop self-esteem or coping skills. Some days can be a little tough, and we need a pick me up. Autism Camp Byron Bay's resident art therapist Karma Barnes shows us how to make a Comfort Box.

To join in with this activity you will need the following art materials: - an empty matchbox
- texters
- coloured paper or card scraps
- glue stick or PVA

Optional extra's - coloured tape, paint, sparkles, stickers, collage materials.

Featuring Karma Barnes from Art Therapy Northern Rivers.

Ausome Doco Top Tip
Autism and Me (2018)

Autism And Me is a revealing observational documentary that explores the autism spectrum through the experiences of a number of Irish children, teenagers and adults. 

Elegantly constructed and entirely moving, the programme pays more attention to individuals than to a condition. Hooray! No one is quite as fluently realised by that approach as Fiacre Ryan, a 16-year-old from Mayo, who is non-verbal but extremely articulate. He narrates his experience with the soul of a poet, and the programme gives his internal monologue a revelatory public expression which will make your heart melt. Both my 9 year old and I LOVED this doco. For anyone who needing to articulate how misconstrued high and low functioning labels are this is your go-to doco. There will be happy tears. Screening on Amazon. (G)

5 min Pro-Sense Break
Being Animals

Sensory integration focuses on three basic senses–tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive. Regular 'Pro-Sense' breaks help facilitate attention and awareness, reduce anxiety and aid emotional regulation...short frequent activities are often more beneficial. Proprioception, in particular, is a big deal for kids who have sensory needs because it’s the only sense that calms and helps improve focus. Have some fun today being animals. :) Try dropping in a few Pro-Sense breaks through your day, and you'll feel the difference. :)

Featuring Meggie Danielson and Quincy Rowe.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

Ausome Movie Top Tip
Please Stand By Me (2017)

Wendy (Dakota Fanning)—a brilliant young woman who is autistic and a fixation on Star Trek—lives a routine life in an Oakland, California group home where she is monitored by her primary caregiver, Scottie (Toni Collette). She spends her time writing a 450-page Star Trek script to enter in Paramount Pictures' screenwriting contest in hopes of winning the $100,000 prize. After Wendy misses the mail-in date to send her script to Paramount Pictures, she decides to deliver the script herself. The film is an exploration of autism, Star Trek fandom, and family. So good. :) Screening on YouTube. (PG)

Ausome Movie Top Tip
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

This beautiful movie tells the story of 11-year-old Oskar Schell and his father, Thomas. Thomas is a paragon, spending countless quality hours with Oskar and involving him in ingenious mind games. Perhaps he suspected what Oskar now tells us about himself: that he may be autistic. His dad’s methods are compelling and perhaps points to his own undiagnosed autism. When Thomas dies in the World Trade Centre on 9/11, Oskar befriends an older autistic man, and together they search for the lock to fit a key found amongst his dads possessions. Screening on YouTube. (PG)

5 min Pro-Sense Break
Bounce and Balance

Sensory integration focuses on three basic senses–tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive. Regular 'Pro-Sense' breaks help facilitate attention and awareness, reduce anxiety and aid emotional regulation...short frequent activities are often more beneficial. Proprioception, in particular, is a big deal for kids who have sensory needs because it’s the only sense that calms and helps improve focus. Have some fun today bouncing and balancing. :) Try dropping in a few Pro-Sense breaks through your day, and you'll feel the difference. :)

Featuring Meggie Danielson and Quincy Rowe.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

Friendship Challenge
The Friendship Tree

Meeting new people and making new friends can be a bit tricky, and some of you may be wondering how are we going to make new friends when we get to camp?

So today, we are going to make a handprint to add to our friendship tree when you get to camp. Have fun. :)

Featuring Bonnie Heitzinger.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

5 min Pro-Sense Break
Hop and Jump

Sensory integration focuses on three basic senses–tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive. Regular 'Pro-Sense' breaks help facilitate attention and awareness, reduce anxiety and aid emotional regulation...short frequent activities are often more beneficial. Proprioception, in particular, is a big deal for kids who have sensory needs because it’s the only sense that calms and helps improve focus. Have some fun today hopping and jumping. :) Try dropping in a few Pro-Sense breaks through your day, and you'll feel the difference. :)

Featuring Meggie Danielson and Quincy Rowe.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

Camp Movie Top Tip
Space Camp (1986)

To the children of the ’80s, the only thing cooler than the idea of space camp is the idea behind 1986’s Space Camp, in which Lea Thompson, Joaquin Phoenix, and their fellow teens must figure out how to land an actual space shuttle after a freak accident at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center launches them into outer space. Loving the 80’s perms and Dire Straits as backing track. Even better Disney are about to make a new series based on the film. It’s a top camp movie, and a classic family find for the weekend. Screening for free on YouTube now. (PG)

Nature Connection
Make A Kite

Children love to experience the sights, scents, sounds, and textures of the outdoors. Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity and problem-solving. Our Nature Connection sessions with Rohan are all about making and playing in nature. Today, we learn to make and fly a kite. Have fun. :)

Featuring Rohan Stewart.
Supported by
Brunswick Bush School
North Coast Events

Camp Movie Top Tip
Swallows and Amazons (2016)

Swallows and Amazons is an exhilarating adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s treasured classic. A story of daring adventure and exploration as a group of children set off on an adventure of a life-time. The battle for ownership of a lonely island teaches them the skills of survival, the value of friendship and the importance of holding your nerve. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Lake District, it’s a heartwarming adventure for all the family. Screening on Netflix now. (PG)

If you’re a stickler for old school you can find the trailer for the 1974 version here.

Friendship Challenge
The Friendship Time Capsule

Meeting new people and making new friends can be a bit tricky, and some of you may be wondering how are we going to make new friends when we get to camp?

So today, we are going to make a friendship time capsule.....a snapshot of you and your life to share with new friends when you get to camp. Have fun. :)

Featuring Bonnie Heitzinger.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

Camp Movie Top Tip
The Parent Trap (1961)

If you want to show your kids what camp was like a really long time ago, the original version of this now-famous film is a must-see! This fun family comedy made canoeing, singing, practical jokes and pranks part of a camp line-up for kids and teenagers everywhere. It’s also filled with mistaken and switched identities as teenage twin sisters - who meet for the first time at camp - swap places and scheme to reunite their divorced parents. The girls played by an unbelievably adorable Hayley Mills. Screening on Amazon now, this one is a real classic. (G)

5 min Pro-Sense Break
Squash and Roll

Sensory integration focuses on three basic senses–tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive. Regular 'Pro-Sense' breaks help facilitate attention and awareness, reduce anxiety and aid emotional regulation...short frequent activities are often more beneficial. Proprioception, in particular, is a big deal for kids who have sensory needs because it’s the only sense that calms and helps improve focus. Have some fun today squashing and rolling. :) Try dropping in a few Pro-Sense breaks through your day, and you'll feel the difference. :)

Featuring Meggie Danielson and Quincy Rowe.
Supported by WeMove Studio.

Camp Movie Top Tip
Moonrise Kingdom

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. With a stellar cast including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman and the always awesome Tilda Swinton. One of Wes Andersons finest. :) Screening on YouTube now (PG)