Hands down, having my boys join the Boy Scouts of America has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has literally been life-saving for my special needs kids.
What will my child be able to do? What are his/her limitations? How do we help them to achieve their highest potential?
These are questions I asked myself when I first got a diagnosis for each of my five special needs kids. My three oldest boys have the old Autism diagnoses of Aspergers/Anxiety (Firstborn); Aspergers/ADHD/ODD (Whirlwind); and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) and ADD/ADHD (Lawboy). My first daughter (PrincessBallerina) is neurotypical. Her younger brother (Acroboy) has PDD-NOS/ADHD and her younger sister (BabyGirl) has Sensory Processing Disorder and Generalized Anxiety. Even before we officially knew what was going on, we knew some things were really hard for my kids.
What we tried
First: Sports
When the oldest boys were younger, we attempted T-ball. The different schedules because of their ages were tricky, and Whirlwind (the second oldest) had a particularly hard time transitioning between innings if he hadn’t gotten a chance at bat because his team got out. The boys didn’t communicate well with their coaches or fellow players, and there was some basic coordination that was harder for them. T-ball was a failure in a big way.
We tried swimming, and potentially swim teams, but the echoing of the all noise in the pool was too much for Firstborn, who has always been sensitive to noises. Whirlwind had a difficult time dealing with smaller and younger children being faster than he was. I tried to explain swim team was more about improving yourself because there was always going to be someone faster than you. It didn’t fly.
Second: Scouting
When Firstborn turned eight years old we enrolled him in our local Boy Scout Cub pack. That first Cub Den Leader caught that Firstborn wasn’t just shy, he had a hard time fitting in and interacting with the other boys period. She had a good friend with three boys on the Spectrum and was familiar with their behaviors. She suggested Firstborn might have Aspergers. To make a long story short, she was right. Her recognition of the situation has allowed me to start earlier and earlier interventions with my other children. They are excelling because we’ve been able to get them the help they need.
Scouting has been a blessing to my family.
5 Reasons Special Needs Kids Should Join Boy Scouts:
1. Scouting provides a structured, yet non-competitive way for my kids to be part of team.
Each Pack and Troop work together to improve and strengthen each boy (now girls too). When they are learning a skill such as knot tying, often the older and slightly more experienced scouts can help teach the younger ones how to tie a knot. The scout practices that skill over and over until he gets it correct. Then when has mastered it, he has the opportunity to teach someone else younger or less experienced than he is. This goes for most skills the boys have to learn, and it creates a spirit of teamwork. They also have the buddy system and don’t leave anyone behind on hikes. There is a great camaraderie in our scout patrol.
2. Scouting provides regular physical activity.
Cub Scouting and Scouting are all about being active and being in the great outdoors. When you go on monthly campouts and hikes, and haul your gear up and down trails, you get some pretty good workouts. There are requirements for swimming ability, exercise and nutrition at all levels. All scouts are required to earn Personal Fitness, Cooking and one of Swimming/Hiking/Cycling merit badges if they wish to earn their Eagle Scout rank. Sports were not an option for physical activity; Scouting was.
3. Scouting reinforces skills through patient repetition.
Learning some kinds of new skills (especially executive functioning skills) can be particularly hard for special needs/Autistic kids. Everything from knot tying to tracking chores, allowance and physical activity to breaking down teaching the boys repeatedly to plan and carry out a campout improve their patience, and executive functioning skills. They still have challenges, but an experience of packing too much on a hike-in campout, or too little on a Wilderness Survival night teaches them where the happy medium is.
4. Scouting teaches them they are more than their disability.
In our troop we’ve had multiple boys with disabilities. We have several with Autism and ADHD, one with brittle bone disease, and one with Sickle Cell Disease, and some with anxiety.
In each of these cases, the boys are held to Boy Scouts of America Scouting standards. A council office can grant a little wiggle room in rank requirements (like allowing a floatation belt for the boy with Sickle Cell Disease so he didn’t struggle to stay on top of the water while he was swimming the required distances), but all BSA merit badges have to be earned as written. If it says demonstrate, they have to demonstrate. If it says explain, they have to explain.
Additionally if the boy wishes to earn his Eagle Scout rank, he has to earn 13 required merit badges and 8 more of his choosing. Among the required merit badges are Communications, Personal Fitness, First Aid, and Emergency Preparedness. My boys see themselves as Scouts, as someone who know how to cook, or geocache, or can be counted on in an emergency situation. They see themselves as capable.
5. Scouting teaches leadership and cooperative skills.
As boys move through scouting, they hold positions within the troop. Patrol Leaders, and Assistant Patrol Leaders work with Quartermasters, Chaplains Aides, Treasurers, etc. to plan and carry out their activities. Not all boys with disabiliites within our troop have served as Patrol Leaders or Assistant Patrol leaders, but they have all been leaders through their actions, and attitudes. One of our more recent Eagle Scouts never served as a Patrol Leader, but his willingness to follow leaders in tough times, his cheerfulness, and the dedication he showed to his troop position were all ways he led. He set the example for younger, less mature scouts. His Eagle project was an opportunity to show how he could personally lead when put in charge, and he did a fantastic job.
Bonus: Scouting can save lives.
I know this first hand. BabyGirl is alive today because of Scouting and by the grace of God.
When Firstborn was very young, he had a really difficult time with the unexpected. When the milk spilled, he would run around yelling, “The milk spilled. The milk spilled!” and he would be a loss for what to do. As he got older, we worked with him on how to deal with the unexpected. His refrain changed into, “The milk spilled! Get a rag! Clean it up!” He would then get a rag and clean up the milk. He kept growing and maturing.
What happened and how my oldest son saved my youngest daughter’s life
When firstborn was about fifteen I left him in charge while I went to a STEM school orientation with Whirlwind. Firstborn had proven himself to be pretty reliable babysitter. While I was gone, BabyGirl somehow found a lifesaver. She put it in her mouth and at some point began to choke. Thankfully she was near my older daughter, PrincessBallerina, who noticed a gagging expression on BabyGirl’s face. PrincessBallerina thought BabyGirl was sick and about to throw up. She called Firstborn who realized BabyGirl wasn’t gagging and about to throw up, but choking. He picked her up, got her body and head tilted downward and did the Heimlich maneuver. The Lifesaver was expelled from the body and BabyGirl could breathe again.
All those years of drilling what it looks like when someone is choking and what do came back to him when we needed it most. With divine help, he remained calm and collected and dealt with the biggest emergency he’d ever faced. This is the boy who used to get so upset with spilled milk. Not anymore. This is the young man who had earned his Eagle Scout award, done all the training and saved his sister’s life.
For his actions, Firstborn was awarded the National Medal of Merit by the Boy Scouts. He’s received our undying gratitude for eternity.
What to do next if you want to try scouting
Most people won’t have such dramatic experiences in their lives, but hopefully the five numbered reasons above will encourage you to give Scouting a try. Remember every troop and pack are different, so be patient in finding the right fit for you and your child. Getting involved is one way you can make sure it is a good fit for you both. (I currently serve as an 11-year-old Assistant Scout Leader, and as our Troop Committee Chair). Scouting has literally meant a world of difference to me and I’ve seen so much growth in my boys. Give it a try. Go to Be A Scout to find troops and packs near you.
*I received no compensation for this article. I’m pretty passionate about what Scouting can do, and wrote this of my own in hopes Scouting can help another parent.
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