dyslexic scout

[CindyJ]

I have a boy scout that has been doing okay but has had to have the merit badge books read to him. He asked if we could get the merit badge books in audio form so he can do the work himself. My council doesn't know where to get them and the disability awareness merit badge book points us to RFB&D but they charge $100 for the first year then $35 per year after that and don't have all the books just some of them so I can't see paying that. He is also my son and I have been reading them to him but as he is now 16 he doesn't want "mommy" reading to him. He is severely dyslexic and is struggling with a reading course for the future but is running out of time to make Eagle and he really wants to. He is 1st class now and 1 badge away from Star which he will be going over with his merit badge councilor this week. Anyway does any one know where I can find the merit badge books in audio form?

[scoutldr]

No, I don't, but it's an excellent idea. Have you tried an optical scanner? This example is $400, but could be used for any printed material.

 

http://colligo.us/Scan_N_Talk.php

[John-in-KC]

Try Scoutstuff.org, and look for one of the National Supply Service shops. Contact the manager, explain the problem. See what he/she has to say.

 

Beyond that, I'd also ask your Unit Commissioner/District Commissioner/District Executive for the contact for your District or Council Special Needs Committee folk. They might have some ideas.

[CindyJ]

Thanks i didn't know they made such a thing. It might be worth having if he can't improve his reading in the future.

[Liz]

I don't know which MBs your son still has left to do, but if his disability makes it so he can't accomplish a particular merit badge, a different merit badge can be substituted.

 

Not all of the MBs require reading. I would definitely talk to the council about this.

 

Best of luck. I admire your son for persevering through this.

 

Perhaps multiple Scouters could even be organized to get all of the Eagle-required MB books (at least) read out loud, recorded, and made available to Scouts with vision or reading challenges. I know I wouldn't mind reading one or two out loud, for the good of Scouting.

[FireKat]

I was finally found to be dyslexic after high school. Mine was said to be fairly bad. Funny thing is that many people now say I am a speed reader. I never could read out loud and still cannot without many mistakes. I was accused of cheating many times by english teachers since I could not read out loud but had high comprehension. Don't give up and let him do things his own way and at his own speed. It is possible to find tricks around the troubles.

Good luck and be patient, there are many of us out there that no one knows about. Kat

[Stosh]

If I were the MB counselor, I would read the book to the boy.

 

Stosh

[insanescouter]

As a MBC and having a load of learning disabilities (and I suspect but dont know that i have aspergers) I almost never force Scouts to read the book I find personally that they get more out of it by me teaching them everythig they need to do... For example computer MB is better of done hands on, Pioneering, Orienteering, Camping, etc all I find they learn more doing hands on ....

 

Next note ... I agree the MB books should be in audio but even more so in this age I think a video format would be more popular, not as a substitute for the MBC but rather for the book... just my wacky option ....

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

 

Helping leaders one resource at a time....

[Liz]

Insanescouter -- I really don't think that's a bad idea at all. I've got a whole group of boys working on Railroading MB together. Instead of having them all take turns reading the book, I more or less "transcribed" the safety requirements into a power point, added lots of pictures, threw in a few videos, etc.. That way, the kids all learned enough to meet the requirements, answer the questions, etc.. -- and I didn't have to buy 15 MB books or find a way to share one book among them all.

 

-Liz

 

(edited because I wrote in a hurry and part of my post didn't make sense)(This message has been edited by liz)

[Hal_Crawford]

We had a scout in our troop with severe dyslexia. It was considered a disability and he got a waiver on aging out. Might be an option for this scout.

[Nike]

I'm surprised that all the books aren't on audio for visually impaired Scouts.

[sweetspiritpamh]

In Arlington Texas we have a entire troop of young men with some form of disabilities. It is Troop 517 from Longhorn Council. I am sure they use many creative ways to get the Boy Scout Program out. Steve Barnes is the scoutmaster and maybe if you could communicate with him he could give you some ideas to help each boy to do his best.

[Kudu]

The real problem is that most required BSA Merit Badges are the OPPOSITE of real Scouting, as defined by Baden-Powell (you know, the guy who invented Scouting).

 

His fundamental message is that Scouting a GAME,

 

NOT a game with a "purpose,"

 

but a GAME!

 

A game is the OPPOSITE of what he labeled "INSTRUCTION:" Indoor classroom school work.

 

Dyslexia, because it is so common in BOYS, is the PERFECT canary in a coalmine:

 

If a dyslexic boy has problems with a Merit Badge, then it is BAD SCOUTING.

 

Rather than adapting bad Scouting through audio books, we should get rid of the bad Scouting: Merit Badges like Citizenship, Environmental Science, Personal Management, you know: The boring stuff that every red-blooded American boy hates.

 

Because (according to Baden-Powell), a boy is DESIGNED to HATE BORING stuff.

 

And that is how the game of REAL Scouting is designed to work!

 

Kudu

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Kudu, very nice but lets try to help the poster out

 

CindyJ, the chair of the Special Ed program at the local high school told me my son was the most dyslexic child she had ever seen. He earned Eagle at 16. I helped him with his write ups, he would tell me what to type and I would type it. Most counselors said they knew it was his work as I typed what he said so it read the same way he spoke. Which is different than how I speak or write. We didnt use a lot of the merit badge books, he got the requirements off meritbadge.org and he looked up what he could and talk about the rest.

 

 

[kadiera]

I'm really surprised that the materials aren't available as audio files - there are lots of reasons someone might be better off listening to them than reading them.

 

It seems to me that, other than the fact that Eagle projects can't benefit BSA, getting all (or even a portion) of these available on tape would make a great Eagle project...are there other opportunities for large-scale service projects that might find this a good target?