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Good morning fellow scouters, To add my opinion to this discussion, I would like to talk about 4 boys in my pack, 3 of which will be bridging this March. One of them is my son who has Aspergers(Austic Spectrum), ADHD and SID. Having this in my home has benefitted me greatly as a parent and scouter when working with these boys. I have seen though, leaders and parents who have little tolerance for these boys in our pack and other units. Not to be disrespectful to anyone, but at times there seems to be alot of unintentional ignorance in this area. That being said, I'm not saying that every CM or SM should take classes, but self education goes a long way. I'm sure there are even District's out that there do not have a postion for 'Scouts with other abilities' filled. I do agree with the gentleman that made the comment about feeling 'slapped in the face' about the disabilities merit badge. The majority of scouts that have things going on cannot be seen. These scouts often bring a perspective to the table that bring out the best in a situation or idea unthought of. An active parent in the unit is a god send. As some of us my not feel comfortable speaking to parents, but if we even notice on the registration form that a scout has 'other abilities' speaking to mom or dad privately may help everyone. This way we can convey to them that we are there to help and any information about 'triggers, mental shut down or fears' can be of great help. That being said about parents, one other point is that some parents may put their children on a medicane vacation. One of the boys in our pack has been on this 2 summers in a row. Having known him for 3 years, I know what his ticks and triggers are. However, when the Webelo DL and I find out 2 days into day camp that his parents stopped his meds we get frustrated. Not at the scout but at the fact that he told us this and not the parents. To make matters worse, neither of the parents were there. It had gotten to the point with his actions, that our pack committee even discussed the item of mandatory attendance of a parent when a scout is not on their meds. We primarily brought this up because when the DL and I weren't around this scout to keep an eye on him, he got into trouble at camp. All of this being said, scouting as a whole needs to take a step back and realize that there are probably thousands of scouts that have one thing or another going on that cannot be seen. As scouters and parents, we need to do our best to ensure that these scouts are treated the same as everyother scout. Thank you for your time. Respectfully, Rob Ehrhart Pack 172 CM

Gunny, Good afternoon. I am the CM with the pack on the Navy base in Dahlgren (Active Duty PO1) and my dad was a Gunny in Nam. If you ever need anything regarding how things work when on a military installation, please let me know. I have been in this pack for 2 years now. One benefit of 95% of our boys being in military families is that the dad''s have a variety of experience in topics to teach the boys. Along with that being on the base somewhat isolates us from those in town, but we have a very good internal support network. YIS, Rob Ehrhart Cub Master Pack 172 NC1 USN

Good afternoon, In regards to you and your scouts with other abilities, I applaud you for being as strong as you are. Myself, between my wife and kids our house is Apserger's, ADHD and Bi-Polar. I am also a Cub Master with 2 other boys in our pack that have similiar issues. To go along with Kenk, maybe asking the same thing in a different manner may hit the nail right on the head. Given dad's work situation, he may not be there to help with the asking btu maybe he can jot down a few items for you. Also, since it is a comprehension matter, maybe you can ask him tell you what he thinks it is. This will allow you to see it as he does and could possibly help in futher explanations to him. Along with that, you may want to work with your district on is Scout advancement plan, similiar to a school IEP document. If your pack has a scouts with disabilities committee member, they may help implementing this. This will allow boys in similiar situations to 'communicate' responses to you for achievement outside of the norm and still meet these requirements as well. YIS, Rob Ehrhart

Hello Irish Mom, In regards to your situation, I have been in one similiar. Being on a military base and being active duty we change over all our jobs every 3-4 years. Yes, in regards to what the others have said about positions, they are correct. One thing I would like to add is who in yoru district is your UC(Unit Comminisioner)? This person is a member of the District staff and is independant of your pack. This person, along with your COR are obligated to help you get your ducks in a row. Not to mention that when it comes to recharter time, either your COR or DE sign off on the adult leaders. I do applaud you for your strength in this, but just wanted to let you know what others are responsible for helping you do what you can!! I am not a scouting gooroo, but feel free to drop me a line for questions. [email protected] YIS, Rob Ehrhart Cub Master Pack 172

Curtis, Good evening. In regards to your situation, we are in a smiliar one ourselves with our track on it's last leg. Our pack is in a very small area itself, located on a US Navy base. Because of this our resources are limited. However, a suggestion would be to look for other packs in your area that would want to go in on the purchase of a track with you. We are looking at an aluminum one ourselves. Doing this would cut your costs and develop a 'network' of fellow scouters. Not to mention the possibility of having additional help come race day. Good luck and I hope things turn out positively for you!

Hi, My name is Rob Ehrhart and I am with Pack 172 in Dahlgren, VA. Our Council recently started to promote a program called 'Tiger Roar' which allows us to 'recruit' perspective Tigers to join the pack the day after they complete kindergarden. Something else that we're doing this year is inviting these boys to our Bridging Ceremony. That way they can see one of the larger events of the year and ask questions with everyone there. For this we are sending home flyers that we have put togather with all the boys. Hope this helps YIS, Rob Ehrhart Cub Master Pack 172

Fellow Scouters, good day to you. Before I begin, a bit about myself. I am a Cub Master in Dahlgren, VA. On a personal level, my son is ADHD, Aspergers and SID along with that, my wife and daughter are Bi-Polar. I am not a doctor, but I can tell you this from daily interaction's, that med's are there for a reason. Yes, I do agree that it may be overdiagnosed at times, but there is a reason for the meds. In my son's case his 'other abilities' are caused by either a chemical unbalance in the brain and 'short circuit's/delays' in the electronics of the brain. This is soemthing that he was born with and will never go away. He has learned to work through some things as time has went on. Family and self education are the key to 'medication vacations'. Not to discount the ability of my fellow scouters, but you should not be placed in the position of a boy not taking meds and then being responsible for them. If the parent has made the decision to give them that break, then they need to attend camp with their son. Especially if mom or dad knows how to address them when off med's. If the scout knows that he takes meds at certain times and why, that is 75% of the battle. But, this reasoning and education starts at home, NOT on a camp out. There are several scouts who are very self educated in regarding their own matters, and caring scouters to help them. Unfortunately we have families/parents that do not preach that, which puts us in these situations. To mirror what some of you have mentioned, it is education on the CM or SM's part as well. Not to become an expert, but to have some sort of knowledge working with the scouts with 'other abilities'. A bit of knowledge will help things tremendously and ensure that the parents understand their obligation as well. I look forward to sharing ideas regarding this matter or anything else to do with scouting. My address is [email protected] and [email protected] YIS, Rob Ehrhart Cub Master Pack 172