Robert Rocchio takes a seat in a child-sized chair at the Early Childhood Center behind Ferri Middle School. Around him, potatoes with plastic eyes sprout grass, and nearby, rocks are neatly arranged next to paper cups of paint, waiting to be decorated.

They’re projects being done in Johnston’s summer camp for autistic students, and taking stock of the room, Rocchio can’t think of anywhere he’d rather be.

“We’ve been having a great time. You get to see a whole different perspective with the children in a camp program as opposed to the traditional classroom environment,” he said.

As a clinical social worker in Johnston schools, Rocchio works hand-in-hand with autistic students all year. For years, he has been advocating for a program that continues into the summer.

This year, the district gave him the green light.

“The biggest challenge we have with children with autism is that social understanding,” Rocchio said. “That was the overall goal; let’s increase socialization and really get these kids out of their shell.”

This year, there are seven students in grades two through five taking part in the camp, all of whom have different abilities and needs. The three rules all students have to follow are to be respectful and kind, take things one at a time and take turns, and no putdowns.

“There seems to be a real need to assist these kids,” Rocchio said, explaining that this pilot year will help him to better organize the program in the future. “My goal really is to collect a lot of information for this program in order to get more funding and support.”

Keeping the students in-district is a savings for Johnston, which otherwise would foot the bill for tuitions at programs elsewhere, usually in Warwick or Charlestown.

Through the district’s support and funding, the six-week camp program is being offered at no cost to families. Students are bused in Monday through Thursday from 8:30 to 11 a.m., in a structured environment. The morning starts off with a review of activities to keep the group on task. Each child expresses how they feel and why they feel that way on any given day. They get to look at photographs of projects they’ve already completed, which keeps them motivated and instills a sense of pride.

Next, the students take part in a morning activity with Rocchio and the three aides who work closely with him. Each week has a different theme, such as sea creatures or nature, and the activities correspond.

They break for a snack before another activity and later, journal writing. Those activities often include occupational and speech therapy and adapted physical education.

Before the students leave for the day, they review their behavior and talk about how they performed that day. They are “graded,” so to speak, with a colored behavior chart, with green meaning a good day, yellow meaning there are things to work on and red indicating that child struggled.

“It’s to teach them independent decision making choices,” Rocchio said. “It helps them become more aware of feelings they may be experiencing, and when they have a certain feeling it’s important to share it with people you trust.”

Next year, Rocchio hopes to incorporate field trips so the group can go to places like the All Children’s Theater and the science museum. Bringing the students into the community, he said, helps support the work being done in the classroom and at camp.

“Their self esteem and their confidence is really shining through,” he said, adding that in the future he hopes to bring in typically developing peers to aid in the socialization process.

Before the program wraps up during the first week of August, Rocchio will invite family and friends to a special presentation, where the students will share a PowerPoint slideshow of their experiences, and talk about what they learned in the program.

Camp is winding down, but Rocchio has just gotten started.

“This year I was pleased that we were able to at least get the program going,” he said. “I do see it growing. Times are tough but being smart about our resources is key. It makes sense to do a program locally.”