Scouting and Autism

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I put this in the general discussion so that as many people as possible will read and comment on it, parents as well as persons with ASDs.

As an Assistant Scoutmaster in the scout troop my brothers are a part of, I recieve a bi-monthly magazine for leaders called scouting. This issue included an article on scouting for boys with ASDs (both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts). There are a few points of discussion however.

1) Advancement/Achievement issues. The article noted that some of the leaders immediatly started talking about adapting the advancement schedule to fit the person. In some cases, this may be necessary but in others, I would wait until I got to know the boy and see what he can/cannot do, in some cases with accomidations.

2) Discussing the boys with the leaders. This I think is a must. The leaders usually get to know the child but it takes time. Have a health form (usually class 2) filled out by yourself and your doctor ahead of time would help too. Also, if leaders know what can happen, they usually can help to avoid the situation. The leaders can also then discuss an activity with the parents that may be too difficult for the child with ASD and it can be decided if the child will participate or not.

3) Assisting the other boys in undersanding the boy with ASD. This is not a big issue in cub scouts where the parents/adults are involved but as the boy progresses, the adults move more into the background and the boys take over many of the duties (this is especially true in Boy Scouts). The leaders are mostly along for the ride making sure that the activities are safe and to provide transportation. The adults however can discuss the issues and what is expected of the boys to the troop leaders (older boys in Boy Scouts) who can in turn communicate things to the younger boys. They can also intervene when the others are excluding the scout with ASD.

Finally, I was in Boy Scouts as a child. I think the experience was better than school in teaching me how to work with a group. I had issues in my dealings with the others but the Scoutmaster was very good in dealing with me.

I do think scouting is a valuable too for children with ASDs ( I know I did not get into Girl Scouts but I do not know their structure too well). It gives them a place to practice the social skills they have been learning in other venues while having adults available if something does go wrong.