Scouts with ADD - LONG POSTING
(no name) ((no email))
Mon, 31 Jul 1995 18:57:28 EDT
Our Troop started a Special Needs program a couple of months ago to address the
problems presented to boys with ADD and Learning Disabilities. We are just
getting our feet wet. Having just returned from summer camp with 41 Scouts, 8
of which have Attention Deficit Disorder, a Learning Disability or some other
"unusual" obstacle to overcome, it seems a good time to let you know what is
working and what isn't.
ALWAYS TRY TO SEE THROUGH THE CHILD'S EYES!
If you were working with a Scout with no hands, you would never get angry with
him because he couldn't write; you would find some way for him to do what he
had to do without writing. With ADD and Learning Disabilities, you can't
always see what's wrong -- awareness is the key. PBS has a couple of excellent
videos that we are using in our Troop to increase special needs awareness:
PBS Video
P.O. Box 26354
Alexandria, Va 22313
call - 1-800-344-3337
Fax your order 1-703-739-5269
"Learning Disabilities and Social Skills with Richard Lavoie - -
Last One Picked...First One Picked On"
#LAST-101-SR10 (68 Min) $49.95 with Teacher's Guide
#LAST-102-SR10 (62 min.) $49.95 with Parent's Guide
also available ...
"How Difficult Can This Be? -- Understanding Learning Disabilities (The
F.A.T. City Workshop)
#HDFF-000-SR10 (70 min) $49.95 with User's Guide
Just raising the issue and showing these videos has made a remarkable
difference in how our Scouters and Scouts deal with each other. We showed
the videos to our PLC, which includes at least one Scout with ADD. While
most of us still don't really understand much about ADD/LD we realize that
there is a reason some of the boys do the things they do -- and that makes it
managable. When we encounter behavior that is unusual or unacceptable, before
we ask the child, "Why can't you sit down and listen to me?", we ask ourselves,
"Why can't he sit down and listen to me?" It's simple and effective.
Adults don't get as upset, Scouts are more tolerant of each other, and the
special needs Scouts are not quite so afraid to ask for help because they don't
feel "stupid." (No, we have not identified the special needs Scouts to the
other boys.)
SUMMER CAMP
Before going off to camp, I asked every parent to complete a Special
Needs survey, identifying ANY problem that might have an affect on their son's
week at camp. Responses included everything from fear of spiders and thunder
to multi-dimensional learning disabilities to, "He has a tendency to say 'Yes,
Sir' and 'No, Sir'", which could be considered unusual behavior. (FWIW, most
of our LD boys have above-average IQs. Their disabilities prevent them, in
one way or another, from using their intellect to learn or to communicate what
they know.) We also developed a request/authorization form for dispensing
prescription medication during the trip, and got one signed by each parent who
asked us to dispense medicines. (I'm not particularly interested in rehashing
the pros and cons of dispensing medicine.) I talked with each boy, privately,
about his medication; most of these kids understand what their medication is
for, can tell when it's working and when it's not, know what happens when they
don't take it, when they can do without it, etc -- wouldn't you?
Both forms need a little work.
Some individual cases:
WT is a first year Scout with ADD; no specific learning disability has been
reported; a relatively minor difficulty to keep himself organized has been
noted. WT takes Dexedrine in both long-acting and immediate response forms,
with Clonidine to counteract the nervousness and sleeplessness sometimes
brought on by the medication. When medicated he seems to be an average kid;
the one time I saw him unmedicated, he seemed easily confused. At the beginning
of the week, WT was given an index card, showing which classes he was scheduled
to attend each class hour during the week. Because some classes were only held
on certain days, WT got a little confused. We sat down together and made a
separate schedule for each day that had a different schedule, specifically
identified study time for him to work on his "homework", and free time, so he
would know for sure that it was time to take a break. WT completed the first
year program, earning his Second Class rank during camp, and completing the
Swimming, Rifle, and Mammal Study merit badges.
The daily schedule was used successfully to assist several boys with similar
organization problems.
GD is a First Class Scout with ADD and associated attacks of anxiety; GD
suffers from dysgraphia, which makes it difficult to express himself in
writing. GD takes Ritalin in long acting and immediate response forms, with
Clonidine to counteract potential sleeplessness. When medicated, GD is
well-behaved and able to focus on whatever he is being asked to do; when
unmedicated he can be rowdy and is virtually incapable of doing any one thing
at a time. GD was able to use the standard index card to manage his time,
including the horrendous 8 hours of observation required for Environmental
Science merit badge -- he asked a friend and classmate to be his buddy for
observations, so the buddy made sure GD put in the requisite hours. To
accommodate his disability, an adult leader asked GD questions about his
observations, particularly the questions called out in the merit badge manual,
and recorded the responses. The leader satisfied himself that GD understood
the material in enough detail to fill a 500-word report, then approached the MB
counselor with an explanation of GD's disability and a request to accept the
dictated notes in lieu of the 500-word report. The couselor readily agreed.
Of the seven merit badges GD earned last week, this was the only one requiring
special accommodations for his disability.
WM is a First Class Scout with ADD and associated hyperactivity; WM has
auditory, visual, and graphic processing problems (he has difficulty understandi
ng what he is told and what he reads, and cannot write in any useful way, but
is smart as a whip). WM takes Ritalin in relatively small dosage (compared to
other boys his age and size) and only in the immediate response form. When
medicated WM functions reasonably well; when unmedicated he is a mile-a-minute
talker who cannot, under any circumstances, keep himself from doing whatever
pops into his head to do. WM took the Environment Science merit badge; he
attended all the classes, but was unable to complete the required observations
and, therefore, unable to make any reasonable attempt at the written
assignment, with or without help. WM received partials for all but one of
his merit badges, making no attempt at all on two. I suspect the only way to
have helped this child further would have been to have an adult monitor his
activity very constantly, which was not practical.
KS is a first year Scout with ADD; KS has auditory, visual, and graphic
processing problems. KS takes Ritalin during the school year, but is not
medicated during the summer. If I hadn't been informed of his disabilities,
I would have no reason to believe one existed. KS's dad went to camp with us,
not just to see about his kid, but as a full-time, committed Troop leader (but
new to the Troop). Dad spent a lot of time with KS, trying to make sure he
did everything he was supposed to do, and giving him help when he needed it.
Dad didn't get the word on some important program changes because he was
working with his son. None of the other adult leaders got a chance to become
familiar with KS's needs and were pretty much unable to help when Dad finally
realized something was wrong. No major problems, but KS's week at camp was
a little less successful than it might have been.
PROGRAM ACCOMODATIONS
Our Special Needs committee is in the process of examining all advancement
and merit badge requirements (starting with Eagle requirements) to identify
potential areas of difficulty for Scouts with Learning Disabilities. We intend
to develop alternatives for such requirements and to submit the alternatives for
incorporation either into the MB manuals or in a separate guide. It's going
to take a while; all assistance will be appreciated. Perhaps there are
Eagle candidates out there who would be interested in this kind of service
project.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
