Re: adhd and scouting

Ken makes the point about the troop being " boy led " which is quite right.
So maybe what it takes is to make sure that the junior leaders are
briefed in what AD/HD is about. Last year I was doing a training
session for the troop I was with on how to instruct, and in the course of
talking about learning styles I said that I learnt better through verbal
than through visual methods, and that this might be AD/HD related. At
that two of the kids in the group " came out " and told the rest of the
group about their experience. These two guys were dyslexic, the
total oppposite to me. The point is that the other Scouts began to realise
what it was about. As one of them put it, " I always knew that {names
deleted} were " hyper " but never realised about the other problems. "

I did some work with all the older Scouts around leadership skills, and
also concentrated on giving specific confidential feedback to the AD/HD kids.
There are techniques which work well with all kids, but which are
particularly effictive with AD/HD youngsters.

(a) Positive reinforcement. Praise desired behaviour. AD/HD kids need
lots of feedback, but usually all the attention they get is when they do
something wrong. Make a point of saying something positive to all the
kids in the troop, but especially your AD/HD Scouts. Be <specific> -
don't say " You behaved better tonight " but rather say " I notice that you
stayed quiet whilst the SPL read out the notices. Well done. " That way
the kid knows what he did right, and will probably do it again.

(b) If you have to criticise, criticise the behaviour, not the Scout.
I've just returned from teaching SMF 1/2 and that is covered in the BSA
video " Ages and Stages ". Older Scouts may respond to indirect approaches,
e.g. " John, I know you have your Totin' Chip ... what were you just
doing that was against the rules ? " That way you are referring to rules,
and challenging the action, not the individual. But how often do we say
things like " That was a stuping thing to do ... you could have hurt
somebody. " ? What that does is reinforces the kid's belief that he is
stupid, or lazy, or crazy or whatever, possibly puts him on the
defensive, and certainly does not help to identify the behavioural change
you want - e.g. not running around with his pocket knife open.

(c) ADDers are good at making excuses ... we get lots of practice <g>.
Don't argue the toss. You can easily get into the scenario of " But
Mr Brown always lets us eat candy before lunch " or " You said not to
hit the younger Scouts, you didn't say not to kick them ... " or whatever.
Make it clear that you are not going to play word games. Be specific.
The troop rule is no candy before meals. The BSA policy is not to hurt
other Scouts. Be consistent in what rules you enforce and what the
consequences are.

(d) If you get into a conflict situation take control. I use " time out "
in these circumstances. Don't waste time with unanswerable questions
such as " OK, who started that fight ? " ... The answer is <always>
" HE did. "

This summer I was acting SM at summer camp for a troop I had never met
before. They had ten boys and an inexperienced Committee Member, of othe
Scouts' mothers. I heard that at the district camporee there had been
some problems with kids being boisterous and so on. The first full day of
camp, and two Scouts had an altercation that was probably going to turn
into fight. I just said that threatening behaviour was unacceptable,
and they needed to calm down. Each Scout got a five minute time out in
tent, and I said that after that they were just to get on with what they
were doing - no discussion, no sulking. This is a variation on
behavioural programs that are used with AD/HD kids, but which can be
incorporated into the whole troop.

All the Scouts were taken aback by this. I explained that some things
I will react to immediately - fighting, dangerous behaviour, serious bad
language. For other things I use a " three srikes " rule ... I will
point out the problem, then give another reminder, then there are
consequences. Two kids were making a noise after " lights out " and I gave
them their first warning. A few minutes later it was second warning.
When the noise continued I said that those two boys would go to bed fifteen
minutes early tomorrow. The following day we had the " lost my
flashlight / can't blow up my air mattress / got to go and clean my teeth
etc. ... No problem. You have five minutes or it's half an hour tomorrow.
This time we only got to strike two ...

These techniques can be applied to the whole troop, but will be
particularly effective with AD/HD kids who <need> additional structure,
positive reinforcement, and clear boundaries.

Note that I don't talk of " punishment " ... just " consequences " . If a
kid doesn't do his KP and someone else does it, he does it tomorrow. That is
not a punishment, it is the consequence of not doing it today.

In a troop situation you would need to discuss this sort of program with
your committee and possibly all the parents. Some may be using similar
programs at home or at school in any case.

In my case I have drawn on ideas from :

Hallowell E. and Ratey J. " Driven to Distraction "
Phelen, Thomas W " 1-2-3 Magic ; Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 "
Train, Alan " ADHD - How to Deal with Very Difficult Children "

plus a lot of experience on the receiving end of attempts by parents,
teachers, Scout Leaders etc. to get me in line.

Scouting was a great influence in my life, and helped me to develop self-
confidence, social skills and leadership ability. Prof. John Ratey, one of
America'son AD/HD , a psychiatrist with AD/HD himself, and an Eagle Scout said
that he wished that he could write a prescription for Scouting for some
of his patients, because it can be a major positive influence for AD/HD
kids. You might like to think about that ...

There is also an excellent book by Leddingham called, I believe, " A
Scoutmaster's Guide to ADHD " ... it's still in my van with my stuff from
the course, so I can't check the exact title at the moment.

If you want to follow this thread, either on the list or by email I will
be happy to discuss it further.

Ian N Ford
Trainer/District Committee Member
Channel District, Transatlantic Council BSA (UK)

I used to be a Beaver ... I am an ADDer <g>

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