NewCrewToo

Yes, I have to agree with acco40... I remember when I was going thru the Boy Scout Leader Specific Training, and commenting along with the other leaders-in-training that I wish we had scouts with the enthusiasm, drive, and dedication shown in the training videos. I called them the "Stepford Scouts"-- they were just too perfect! It is a balancing act... sometimes a SPL needs just enough rope to hang himself, in order to learn the responsibilities associated with his position-- yet at the same time, all the boys in the troop shouldn't have to suffer because a particular SPL is a slow learner. Sure, the boys need to learn by observing and may one day be a better SPL because they learned not to make the same mistakes as one who went before them... but if the SLP's learning experience is permitted to ruin the scouting experience of the rest of the troop, there may not be any troop left after long. Sorry for taking this topic off subject--but we are talking about leadership training and philosophies, I guess...

fgoodwin-- You make a very good point about involving the PLC. Soliciting ideas and suggestions from them is certainly in order. However, it appears that the movie is intended to be used as part of the Scoutmaster's Youth Leadership Training-- something for which the SM has ultimate responsibility. I don't see anything wrong with soliciting suggestions via this forum and then perhaps presenting several options to the PLC for their input...? I think the idea is to find something that meets the SM's training objective--that the boys will find engaging. Personally, I was delighted to find this discussion. My Venturing Crew likes to incorporate a movie or other social event with their meetings; I've made movies available to them from my collection and even suggested others for them to consider (ones that I feel promote the Aims and Objectives of Scouting)-- I certainly don't "push" these suggestions, emphasizing that they're "ideas." Ultimately, it will be their choice... but is there anything wrong with me printing out this discussion and handing it to the Crew? I think not...

Kahits-- just out of curiosity, where are you located? I'm an ASM with a troop, as well as a Crew Advisor. I was hoping to take several of my scouts (who happen to be boys with special needs) to NYLT this summer. I want to encourage the Crew to do something similar. This discussion leads me to believe that taking the Crew to NYLT isn't the answer. I plan to bring this up at the next Roundtable, in hopes of getting other Crews to combine resources... if we can't pull together to offer Kodiak, perhaps we can look into neighboring Councils?

Thank you so much for this discussion! Thank you, mtm25653... Yours is the attitude that I wish all Scouters could share. As a "disabled" Scouter, and the parent of a special needs Scout, I couldn't agree with you more. I have largely been able to overcome/compensate for my disabilities through perseverence, drive, and a stubborn attitude of not giving up. I attribute my success as an adult to this, and hope to instill a healthy degree of the same kind of motivation in the special needs scouts that I work with-- which number about six. (When parents of my son's special ed classmates learned I was an ASM and that he enjoyed Scouting, they signed their sons up in our troop. Having someone who understood the kids' needs and who could advocate for them made our troop a "magnet" for these very special young men.) There is a fine line between "pushing" and "encouraging". ALL SCOUTS need a healthy dose of the latter. It took my son 3 years of summer camp to finally pass the BSA swim test. We practiced at the County pool-- with me standing at the side cheering "You can do it! You can! You're almost there!" until he finally did. At camp, as we stood in line waiting to take the swim test, another ASM kept thinking aloud... "The water's going to be so cold... it's so much harder in a lake. This is going to be terrible." I finally had to pull him aside and ask him to hush, because the boys were becoming more and more apprehensive. Of 4 special needs scouts, only one was a swimmer. As we stood in line, I coached them. I psyched them up. I told them no one would feel bad if they didn't pass the swim test-- but that I was confident they could. Once they jumped in the water, I was screaming at the top of my voice-- "Come on-- you're doing great! It's alright, just keep going! You're doing fine! You're almost there... just a little more!" In the end, 3 of the 4 passed. The one swimmer actually earned his swimming merit badge. Moral of the story: If you set reasonable, high expectations and provide the right encouragement, you'd be surprised what a kid can accomplish, notwithstanding any "special needs." To Cubdadinnj: You've touched on an important idea-- the availability of digital and/or multimedia materials. This is worth suggesting to BSA National, as a reasonable accommodation... and something that would probably help almost ALL scouts! (The majority of my special needs scouts are on the autism spectrum. Some are excellent readers-- but several have literacy issues.) I've just started a Venture Crew, and am VERY IMPRESSED with the video-based Crew Training materials (e.g., the Crew Officer's Orientation, available at http://www.scouting.org/Venturing.aspx) Many of the online BSA training modules (e.g., Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, YPT, and the various "Fast Start" programs) are a GREAT way to help get a greater percentage of adult volunteers trained. I'd love to see some comparable resources developed for teaching the "content" required for rank advancement and merit badges. For all the effort that goes into updating the Merit Badge pamphlets--which I commend-- I'd love to see a pilot project to release an interactive DVD in lieu of or as an alternative to a printed pamphlet... and see if it results in an increase in the number of scouts who are able to complete the merit badge. To Venividi: Thank you for a FABULOUS suggestion. At a recent Camporee, some of the boys in our patrol complained that they were rated down on "teamwork" because one of the autistic scouts kept turning away/wandering off or insisted on watching instead of participating. Group activities, the pressure of competition, unfamiliarity with a situation, and other attentional issues sometimes make it hard for autistic individuals to "pay attention" and actively participate. Too often, features of autism are regarded by others as "disobedience" or "lack of discipline." Enlisting the assistance of the Patrol Leader to help advocate for these scouts is a great idea. I've also relied on the "buddy system"-- asking one scout to "keep an eye on his buddy, and see if you can help him feel comfortable with the activity, so he can participate." I've also paired a senior/more advanced scout with a special needs scout, and asked them to work one-on-one with him on specific advancement requirements. This may involve reading the handbook to a literacy-challenged scout, repetitively (but patiently) practicing a skill, or teaching them very detailed strategies for doing things that many take for granted-- like knot tying. This is a great leadership opportunity for the senior scout, and a significant help to the special needs scout. Lastly, to Firecat: When you said, "Many adults will not admit that they cannot deal with disabled doing what 'normal' kids are doing. So they pick on the disabled to bring out the problems in secret hope it will make the disabled kid quit." I think you hit the nail on the head. We have one adult volunteer who has nearly caused me to quit the troop and take the boys with me--except that I couldn't find another, more suitable (small) troop in our area. He had insisted on disciplining two boys for acts that arose primarily due to their disability; luckily, the Troop Committee met and agreed that discipline was not the answer. He has refused to allow any of the autistic boys to serve as Patrol Leaders or Asst. Patrol Leaders, by controlling elections, etc. The boys keep asking me why-- so it's obvious that it's transparent to them. Our Council offers a training class once a year on Working with Special Needs Scouts... Unfortunately, I'm afraid that getting guys like him to attend is like trying to light a fire in a downpour with saturated wood. Having special needs Scouts in the troop creates certain challenges for everyone involved-- but isn't approaching and overcoming challenges part of what Scouting is all about?