This video speaks for itself, I want to note, however how the attitude and will of the adults involved made this a positive story. Listen to Chase describe how he felt and how he perceived things. Listen to Chase’s mom describe how she felt as a parent. It’s very difficult to imagine that 11-year-old as a young adult, especially when the going get’s tough, it seems like a loosing battle sometimes....
Tony Mei, chairman of the National Disabilities Awareness Committee, got in touch to share a variety of resources for special needs Scouts. Every unit leader ought to take the time to read The Guide to Working With Scouts With Special Needs and Disabilities Reach the committee task force for answers to questions about special needs Scouting at disabilities.awareness@scouting.org. Here’s a PowerPoint presentation about Including Scouts with Disabilities The Committee publishes Abilities Digest a quarterly newsletter full of information and resources (here’s the Winter 2015 edition)....
Every so often I hear from a Scouter or parent about a Scout who has a problem with bedwetting. It goes without saying that I am not a medical expert, but I did a little research and several sources agree an estimated 3.75 -5.25 million boys (and a smaller number of girls) in the United States have a medical condition known as nocturnal enuresis (NE) or involuntary urination during sleep, commonly called bedwetting....
What do you think? In this week’s podcast I’ll answer email questions about young Scoutmasters, modifying advancement requirements for Scouts with disabilities, the Alligator River game, Webelos going to Scout events, and a full-year troop program. LINKS Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines Guide to AdvancementAlligator River InfographicSo Far So Good, a New Scoutmaster’s Story MUSIC I Love Camping The Not Its Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Podcast: Play in new window | Download...
Podcast Episode (00:33:20): Download MP3 Listen to Scoutmaster Podcast 237 | What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week’s podcast the third of four installments that discusses the typical objections raised when the patrol method is applied. Three different email questions on the theme of focusing on the individual Scout, one has an over ambitious parent and an attitude problem, one has special needs, and one is going through tough times....
Don’t all of our Scouts have special needs? Each has an individual way of seeing things, individual talents and shortcomings, in one sense don’t all of us have some special need? The sport of Scouting is discovering how to best deliver the promises of Scouting to Scouts with different needs. It’s not so much about “special” needs, it’s about individual needs. When we throw quotes around “special” it’s understood we are referring to someone with a perceived deficit and requires ‘special’ assistance....
Karen and John Krejcha head up Autism Empowerment and Autism and Scouting to promote Acceptance, Enrichment, Inspiration and Empowerment within the Autism and Asperger communities. They serve all ages and all abilities and seek to improve and enhance the lives of individuals and families impacted by autism. John volunteers as a Tiger Cub Den Leader in Pack 462 and assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 462 where his sons are a Tiger Cub Scout and Star Scout respectively....
From Scouting Magazine’s ‘What Would You Do?’ One of our Boy Scouts has Asperger’s syndrome. He does well learning Scouting concepts by reading, but he has struggled with camp-outs and activities that are not highly structured. What can we do as a troop to help him succeed? Also, it is taking him a long time to complete advancement requirements. How do we encourage him to keep putting in the effort to complete his requirements, even though they are more challenging for him than for other Scouts?...
Things that stand the test of time. like Scouting, begin with instinctive inspirations before they are explained scientifically. A growing field of psychotherapy recognizes the benefits derived from direct contact with the natural world. Traditional therapies look inward for answers while ecopsychotherapy allows answers to be derived from contact with the natural environment. Scoutmasters have seen the benefits of getting out in nature on their Scouts for many years. Nature calms and focuses, soothes and quiets....
This article from the New York Times reports that children with ADHD benefited from short walks in natural settings. I wonder if there are even greater benefits to a weekend in the woods? A small study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at how the environment influenced a child’s concentration skills. The researchers evaluated 17 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, who all took part in three 20-minute walks in a park, a residential neighborhood and a downtown area....
Dr. Steven Parker at Web Md writes about childhood memories of two schoolmates: In my defense, I wasn’t overtly mean to Billie or to Fred. But – to my eternal shame – neither was I at all friendly. Never did I tell my friends to cool it with the cruel taunts. Never did I attempt to get to know either of them. Never did I empathize with the hell they were going through....
Scoutbase UK (United Kingdom) has an extensive and growing library of fact sheets on Special Needs Scouting that may be downloaded in PDF format free of charge. From Managing Behaviour: What is the ‘praise’ or ‘blame’ culture of your Group like? You may want to look at whether the atmosphere is full of criticism or a constant reinforcing of acceptable behaviour. ‘Thank you’ and ‘Well done’ need to be heard (and meant) when talking to young people and between Leaders too....
I may have earned the equivalent of a few college credits related to the study of developmental, or cognitive, differences during my tenure as a Scoutmaster. What are cognitive differences? Autism, attention deficit, hyperactivity, Downs syndrome and learning disabilities of all stripes. Disabilities are, by definition, a condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do. Difference is a way in which people or things are dissimilar....
Michael turned out to be a special Scout in more ways than one. I would like to say that I had no reservations when I read an email from a family relocating to our town; their two boys were in Scouting and would be looking for a new troop; the older one had Downs Syndrome. I remembered how cruel my peers had been to anyone who wasn’t ‘normal’. I was concerned with how our scouts would react; I shouldn’t have been....