Rising Treetops at Oakhurst's 15-acre facility is barrier-free and includes 12 totally accessible buildings to accommodate all Chatterbox program activities. It has a heated swimming pool with a retractable roof. There is a children’s ball field, a campfire site, gymnasium, recreation hall, media arts room, and arts & crafts area. Rising Treetops at Oakhurst can be easily reached from Newark Airport (EWR) and is close to the Elberon Station of the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line. Rising Treetops at Oakhurst is close to the beach, the boardwalk, and other area attractions of the New Jersey Shore.
2026 Dates: August 9 - 15, 2026
- Children and youth 5-21 years old who communicate using AAC systems such as eye gaze accessible speech generating devices, tablets with communication apps, etc.
- Campers must be able to participate in therapy and recreation activities without requiring one-to-one behavioral support.
More About the Camp Chatterbox Program
Family Program
Parents & siblings join the AAC campers for a week-long family camp experience. The whole family shares cabins with other families. Parents connect with each other for support and also receive training from Speech & Language Pathologists. Siblings participate fully in all recreational activities of camp.
Therapeutic Activities
Therapeutic Activities
Language Groups: Campers are grouped according to age and abilities:
- Beginning AAC device users: able to engage in play activities and use their device to answer questions using a 1 or 2 symbol response.
- Intermediate users: able to form 3-4 word messages.
- Advanced user: capable of more complex syntactic abilities and need to address critical thinking and/or pragmatic language goals.
Recreational Therapy Activities:
- Recreational activities are provided to all campers & siblings throughout the day, and to all families in the evening. These developmentally-appropriate activities are provided by camp counselors under the supervision of recreational therapists and speech therapists to help carry over learning goals. Activities include but are not limited to arts & crafts, swimming, sports, social games, nature activities, music, and more.
Registration & Fees 
Camp fees cover all activity related expenses, group outing fees, room and meals, use of the camp’s facilities.
Please note:
- Children’s Specialized Hospital does not bill insurance companies for this camp fee.
- Families must submit a School/Agency Contract Form if a third party agency plans to pay the fees.
Registration
Camp Staff and Professional Opportunities
Volunteers:
Work in conjunction with the therapy staff during
daily therapy activities. They will assist with transitioning between
activities, leading the campers in songs, assisting with serving and clean-up
for meals, and participating in activities. Interested volunteers must be 15
years old and older to apply. Volunteers sign up for designated time slots, and are not required to attend everyday. Volunteers do not stay overnight. For volunteer opportunities, please contact the
Volunteer Manager at volunteers@childrens-specialized.org and
Counselor:
Work in conjunction with therapy staff during therapy
activities. They play a lead role in engaging campers during daily activities to
maximize the use of their communication devices. Counselors also assist
in transitioning with campers to activities, leading the campers in songs,
assisting with serving and clean-up for meals, and participating in activities. Counselors commit to the full week program, and stay onsite. Interested counselors must be 18 years old and older and enrolled in a college/university to apply. The counselor position is volunteer, but can be used to fulfill an educational requirements, practicum, field work or observational hours for credit. Please reach out if you have questions regarding this opportunity.
To apply to the Counselor position:
Camp Chatterbox provides a specialized AAC Fellow Program which targets professionals seeking to enhance their skills in the application of technology to children with severe communication disabilities. Speech-Language Pathologists, Special Educators, and other professionals working in the field of AAC may apply. Preference is given to candidates who have had some experience in working with children with physical disabilities using AAC systems. Applicants should be flexible, have lots of stamina, be a team player, and possess a sense of humor and adventure. All participants will receive full accommodations during camp and a certificate of attendance documenting up to 40 Professional Development hours.
Submit AAC Fellow Application to the SLP Coordinator Kat Tappan-Verderosa at KTappanVerderosa@childrens-specialized.org
