UTRGV, Region One to host free STEM summer camp for autistic children 

By Karen Villarreal, UTRGV Communications

EDINBURG, TEXAS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Behavior and Child Development Lab (BeChildLab), in partnership with the STEM Center of South Texas at Region One ESC, will host a free, two-week summer camp specially designed for autistic children ages 8 to 12.

“Each week, we will host 30 children for a fun, engaging and inclusive STEM experience,” said Dr. Cecilia Montiel-Nava, professor in the UTRGV Department of Psychological Science and director of the BeChildLab.

Hands-on STEM activities will include building robots to strengthen problem-solving and early engineering skills, creating “galaxy slime” to explore chemical reactions, and launching rockets to observe the laws of physics in action.

The camp will run Wednesday through Friday for two weeks, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Region One Educational Service Center’s STEM Lab (1900 W. Schunior St., Edinburg, TX 78541). The first session begins Wednesday, July 9. The second session will run July 16-18.

Montiel-Nava invites the community to pre-register for the camp by completing a short interest form. The BeChildLab team will follow up to confirm eligibility and provide more details.

“We are deeply committed to supporting the autistic community in the Rio Grande Valley,” she said. “This initiative is our way of giving back to the families who inspire our work every day and may not otherwise have access to a summer camp experience.”

The camp is free and open to the community, but registration is required.

For more information, contact Dr. Cecilia Montiel-Nava at bechildlab@utrgv.edu or (956)665-7950.