This document provides information about including youth with disabilities, specifically emotional/behavioral/social impairments, in Scouting. It discusses the benefits of Scouting for these youth, including a sense of belonging and achievement. It outlines leadership needs such as keeping accurate records, avoiding competitive activities, and individualizing support. The document also discusses opportunities in the outdoor program and leadership development for youth with disabilities.

1. Scouting for Youth
With Disabilities
Part IX F-I
Understanding Categories of Disabilities
and Best Methods
Presentation prepared by Lindsay Foster
Doctoral Dissertation Candidate 2011
Longhorn Council, Boy Scouts of America

2. Emotional /
Behavioral / Social
Impairments

3. Overview
The Boy Scouts of America wants to include youth who have
emotional and behavior disorders. Many units have welcomed
youth who have emotional difficulties. Scouting units have
also been organized at treatment centers and hospitals and
have become meaningful parts of the treatment program.
Many young people with emotional difficulties have benefitted
from Scouting.

4. The “Unseen” Disability
Emotional disorders are thought by some to be “unseen”
disabilities. They cannot readily be seen as can
blindness, mental illness, or a physical disability. So, since
sometimes there is no warning of a behavioral episode, adults
can be startled by the actions of a child who finds it hard to
cope with his inner feelings.

5. Why?
For these
Behavior youth, misbehavior is
problems an outward
can stem expression of an
from: Conflicting Learning
Emotions Difficulties inward emotional
problem.
Learned
Improper
Life Patterns Behaviors
Coping Skills
from Home

6. Reactions
Young people have their own ways of overcoming barriers
and having their needs met:
Some withdraw and say they do not care.
Some daydream or fail to pay attention.
Some give up since they see no point in
continuing to strive when needs are never
met.

7. Additional Reactions
Violent behaviors such as:
• Reckless property damage
• Physical attacks on others
• Malicious mischief
Non-violent behaviors such
as:
• Lying
• Stealing
• Setting fires
• Refusing to learn
• Overeating

8. Language of Behavior
The way a child is treated determines in part how he sees
life and how he regards himself. The world can be viewed
as safe and nurturing, or it can be seen as dangerous and
frightening. If a child is cared for, loved, and accepted, he
can see himself as worthwhile and loveable. If a child can
accomplish and achieve, he can see himself as
competent.

9. Trust
Facets of Trust
• Trust in the environment
• Trust in people
• Trust in the future
• Trust in oneself
Be Aware
• Of making promises that may not be fulfilled
• Of responsibility to follow through on promises

10. Why Scouting for Youth With Emotional Disabilities
Youth want a sense of
belonging.
Youth want to achieve.
Youth want to be recognized
for achievement.

11. Planning Activities for Disability-Specific Youth With
Emotional Disabilities

12. Special Leadership Needs
•Competitive activities should be avoided unless a member
unless a member can compete against his own past
achievement rather than the achievement or skill of others.
•The leader should always remember that the level of
interest and participation of members will vary greatly from
activity to activity.
•The Scouting leader and unit committee must be very
active in helping to plan and evaluate the program activities.
•The goals of Scouting must be understood, and the
planning process and activities adapted to fit the abilities of
the members in the unit.
•Members may need individualized help with reading or
other requirements.

13. Special Leadership Needs continued

14. Special Leadership Needs Plan For Success
1. Keep precise and accurate records, especially of
advancement.
2. Use official Scouting equipment. It is the best available.
(It is especially important that members have official
BSA uniforms.)
3. Seek advice from leaders presently working in Scouting
with youth with emotional disabilities.
4. Follow the program guidelines in the Troop Program
Features, Cub Scout Program Helps, and the Webelos
Leader Guide.
5. Develop and use the patrol method (see the
Scoutmaster Handbook).
6. Keep the “outing” in Scouting.

15. A Community Unit
Many community units have members with
behavioral or emotional problems.
The leader’s attitude toward a child with emotional
disabilities is most important. If the leader shows
acceptance, if he show that he considers the child as much
a participating member as any other, if se shows he expects
the same participation (with some support), then the other
members are likely to react similarly.
Although the unit leader must set the example and be
accepting of a member with a disability and be enthusiastic
about helping him, he must, at the same time, fully
appreciate the special demands that will be made on his
patience, understanding, and skill.

16. Emotional / Behavioral / Social
Disabilities
What You Should Know About Youth with
Emotional Disabilities

17. Scouting Opportunities
Advancement should be guided according to the individual ability of each boy.
Scouting for emotionally disabled youth should not be watered-down Scouting.
Rather than lower the standards, more leaders should be recruited to increase
the individual help each child receives as his needs require.

18. The Outdoor Program

19. The Outdoor Program 2
Fresh air and exercise are obvious
benefits of a good outdoor program, but
other benefits are:
An opportunity to take
An external orientation
A variety of success A method to help the Situation in which advantage of a
that can provide
oriented activities that Many opportunities boys feel a part of the structure can promote A cohesive program number of task-
alternatives to
can be chosen and program ideas for world at large, rather feelings of security in that can build feelings oriented activities to
anxieties, disordered
according to individual “off-ground” activities than just residents of a non-institutional of self-esteem build cooperation and
thinking, and feelings
needs an agency setting other social skills in a
of self-defeat
group setting.

20. Leadership Development

21. Personal Growth

22. Physical
Disabilities

23. Physical Disabilities
Types of Physical Disabilities

24. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Cerebral Palsy
Definition Characteristics Additional Information
• A condition caused by • Spastic – stiff and difficult • Nearly all will have speech
damage to the movement & language difficulties
brain, usually occurring • Athetoid – disturbed • More complex trouble
before, during, or shortly sense of balance related to injury of the
following birth • Combination speech formation centers
• Neither progressive nor • Characterized by an in the brain
communicable inability to fully control • May also have difficulty
• Not curable motor function with drooling
• Not a disease • About 2/3 have visual
• Ranges from mild to handicaps
severe • Usually take an
anticonvulsant during the
day
• About 2/3 have some
degree of mental disability

25. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Progressive
Muscular Dystrophy
Additional
Definition Characteristics
Information
• Encompasses a • Should not be • Youth with this
group of permitted to condition should not
progressive become tired but take part in any
muscular diseases should have some Scout activities that
• Characterized by exercise result in excessive
progressive • Begins between fatigue
deterioration of ages of 2 and 10
skeletal (most common
muscles, cause type)
unknown • Progresses from
lower trunk, hips
and legs up the
trunk

26. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Progressive
MuscularAtrophy
Additional
Definition Characteristics
Information
• Covers a number • Widespread
of poorly muscle weakness
understood
neurological
diseases
• Characterized by
either failure to
develop or the
progressive
degeneration of
certain cells in the
spinal cord

27. Some Types of Physical Disabilities –Spina Bifida
Definition Characteristics Additional Information
• Birth defect • 1 type may only be • Urinary problems are
characterized by detected by x-rays common
failure of several and causes no
vertebrae to develop disability
and enclose the • 2 out of every 1000
spinal cord live births results in
• Results in two small spina bifida minifesta
spines, one on either • Skin of lower limbs is
side of the midline of not sensitive to
the back, rather than pain, touch, or heat
one running down
the center

28. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Heart Defects
Information Form 1 Form 2
• Pumps 103, 680 • Developmental • Flaws in the
times per day in defect which valves, usually
the average 12 diverts the from rheumatic
year old bloodstream fever
• Otherwise either into wrong
appears to be channels or
normal creates unusual
• Heart disease in resistance to
children blood flow with a
generally takes corresponding
one of two forms: increase in the
heart’s workload

29. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Limb Deformities
Information Amputations
• Birth deformities are • Caused by surgery or
rare serious accident
• Usually involves the • While similar to a
absence or partial Scout with a birth
development of one deformity, may have a
or more bones of the stronger emotional
limb reaction during
adjustment to his
disability

30. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Epilepsy
Definition Characteristics Types What to Do
• A physical condition • Blackouts or periods of • Generalized (all brain • Gently move him to a
that occurs when there confused memory cells) side-lying position
is a sudden, brief • Episodes of staring or • Convulsions with • Do not restrain his
change in how the brain unexplained periods of complete loss of movements
works unresponsiveness consciousness • Do not douse him with
• Brain cells are not • Involuntary movement • Brief period of fixed water or slap him
working properly of arms and legs staring • Do not place a finger or
resulting in a loss of • Fainting spells with • Partial (some brain object between his
consciousness, altered incontinence or cells) teeth
movement or altered followed by excessive • Periods of “automatic” • Remove nearby objects
action fatigue behavior and altered that might injure him if
• Odd sounds, distorted consciousness he should hit them
perceptions, or episodic • Grand Mal
feelings of feat that • Focal
cannot be explained
• Petit Mal
• Psychomotor

31. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Brain Damage
Characteristics Additional Information
• Outwardly appears normal, may have seizures or • May have coordination problems that limit
convulsions as children with cerebral palsy do functional abilities
• May be difficulty in
comprehension, learning, behavior, speech, and
hearing
• Often is hyperactive, nervous, restless, and
moves compulsively with no apparent purpose

32. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Down Syndrome
Health Related
Definition Incidence Characteristics
Problems
• The most common • 1 in every 800 to • Poor muscle tone • Lowered immune
and readily 1000 live births in • Slanting eyes with system
identifiable the U.S. folds of skin at the • Visual problems
chromosomal • Occurrence is inner corners • Hearing problems
condition higher in • Hyper flexibility • Speech difficulty
associated with a pregnancy for • Short broad hands • Heart defects
mental disability women over 35 with a single (approximately
• Most common crease across the 1/3)
forms do not occur palm on one or • Atalanntoaxial
in a family more both hands instability
than once • Broad feet with • Obesity
short toes
• Mental disabilitie
• Flat bridge of the
nose
• Short, low-set ears
• Small head
• Small oral cavity
• Short, high pitched
cries in infancy

33. Some Types of Physical Disabilities – Diabetes
Definition Types Questions to Ask
• A disorder in which the • Type I • Does the Scout
body fails to make • May be controlled by administer insulin
proper use of diet himself?
sugar, and so the sugar • Given • Will Scout adhere to
accumulates in the medication, insulin, by diabetic diet, particularly
blood and often passes injection on camping trips?
in the urine • What is the Scout’s
• Type II
• May be controlled by medication schedule?
diet • What should be done
for insulin shock?
• What are the symptoms
of insulin reaction?

34. Scouting For a Youth in a Special Unit
The fact that Scouting is Scouting is based upon
Scouting is geared to the a worldwide movement the high ideals and
abiding interests of gives breadth and depth purposes that are
youth. to belonging to a Scout necessary to rich living in
group. a social world.
Scouting permits
children with disabilities
Scouting has a strong
to work closely with other
dedication in service to
boys and girls toward
others and to community.
common goals and
ideals.

35. Needs of Youth with Disabilities

36. Emotional Problems
•Physically disabled youth do not come in a single
mold, any more than other youth do.
•Youth with disabilities may have more difficulty adjusting to
society.
•Youth with disabilities may sense feelings of pity or
rejection by others, and they may respond to them by:
• developing feelings of inferiority,
• becoming more timid, or
• overcompensating and becoming more aggressive.

37. The Physical Benefits of Scouting
One of the Scouting movement’s
principal goals is mental and physical
fitness, and disabled youth derive at
least as much physical benefit from
Scouting as do other youth.
As leaders are not physicians or
therapists, the Scout leader should plan
a full agenda of Scouting activities with
no regard to therapy; the physical
benefits will follow.

38. Placing Youth in Scouting
Youth with a Vernon
disability Mallinson in
should None Can Be
Called
Will the become a Deformed
Scout do Scout in asserts that
whatever children with
better in type of unit is
disabilities
should, if
a special available or is possible, soci
unit? most alize with
nondisabled
appropriate. children.

39. Why Scouting for Youth With Physical Disabilities?
“The disabled child has a right to grow up in a world which
does not set him apart, which looks at him not with scorn or
pity or ridicule but which welcomes him, exactly as it
welcomes every child, which offers him identical privileges
and identical responsibilities.”
~ White House Conference on Child Health and Protection

40. What You Should Know About the Youth’s Disability
Problems could
include:
•Transportation for hikes and
campouts
•Involving all youth in games
and contests
•Acceptance of the youth by the
other members as just another
Scout.

41. When a Disabled Youth Joins

42. Helping Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, &Venturers With
Physical Disabilities

43. Physical Disabilities
Discussion Topics

44. Will He Hold Us Back? - DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION TOPIC:
By definition, a physically
disabled youth is one who has
some disability that makes it
difficult or impossible for him to
do some things that Scouts
normally do. Unit leaders might
occasionally face the question of
whether to hold back the other
youth to allow the disabled youth
to keep up or let him work at his
own pace while the others
proceed at a faster pace.
What’s the right answer?

45. Games and Contests - DISCUSSION
When an individual with
physically disabilities is
unable to compete on
equal terms, how may he
participate in active
games?

46. Helping the Guy Next To You - DISCUSSION

47. The Youth in a Unit With Scouts With Disabilities
This is essentially the same as in any
other unit. The way the activities are
carried out may be different
depending upon the needs of the
Scouts.
A special unit might include:
•Youth with a single disabling condition in a hospital or
residential facility
•Youth with a variety of disabling conditions in a children’s
hospital or long-term rehabilitation facility
•Youth with a variety of disabling conditions in a unit outside
an institution

48. Running Your Program
The need to
The level of
The need to experiment, to
participation by
slow down find out what
boys could vary
activities works and what
considerably
doesn’t
Three things to consider:

49. Running Your Program: DISCUSSION
Discussion:
Discussion:
Discussion: How much and
How may
What needs to be what types of trial
participation be
considered? and error should
encouraged?
be used?
Break into small groups and discuss.

50. HELP!
From Parents With Personal
and Others Needs

51. Six Point Plan for Success
Keep precise and Use official Scouting Seek advice from
accurate equipment; it is the leaders presently
records, especially best available for working with
of advancement. camping and hiking. disabled Scouts.
Develop and use
Follow the program
the patrol method
guidelines outlined Keep the “outing” in
(see the
in the official BSA Scouting.
Scoutmaster
literature.
Handbook).

52. Hiking and Camping
Probably fewer special troops and Webelos dens hike than camp, because in such
units there is a high proportion of youth who use wheelchairs or cumbersome leg
braces – traveling over rough terrain can be an ordeal for them.
Experienced Scout leaders of youth with disabilities recommend:
•There be an adult or nondisabled Scout for every two disabled Scouts
•Hikes be relatively short (depending upon capability of the hikers)
•Hikes be on fairly smooth terrain, particularly when youth are in wheelchairs
•Plenty of time be allowed because of the slower pace of the hikers
•Hikers do not get too far from easy access to transportation in case any of them
become fatigued

53. Hiking and Camping
Nearly all troops of disabled Scouts are perfectly capable of overnight and
long-term camping, providing that the conditions are not too rugged.
Special factors must be considered:
•Presence of Sand
•Presence of Rugged Terrain
•Presence of Ramps
•Presence of Individuals to Port Gear
• Presence of First Aider

54. Visual Impairments

56. The Scouting Challenge
Every Scout will excel in some areas and not in other. The
same is true for blind Scouts. What is important is that they
are given the opportunity to try.
They are more alike other boys than they are unlike them.

57. Follow Practical Advice

58. Discard Old Notions
•The old notion that blind boys are helpless is false.
•Another incorrect notion is that a boy’s disability is more
extensive than it is.
•One might tend to attribute poor coordination and
balance to blindness, when in fact the boy has not had
the physical experience necessary to attain control.
•A blind boy’s knowledge of objects may be limited.
•In physical capability, finger dexterity and
coordination, the blind boy’s disability may be a limitation
because of lack of experience but it is not necessarily
prohibitive.

59. Sense Compensations
•Blind boys see neither smiles nor frowns (a smiling face may
have a “frowning” voice).
•Keep the Scout’s attention by recognizing him for what he
has done.
•Just as often, though, a boy who is blind can be encouraged
by a pat on the shoulder and the leader’s reassurance.

60. Other Concerns
Intelligent discipline and safety
Choosing the right unit
Leadership demands in mixed units
Special units
Boy Scouting
Trial and error
Merit badge work
Additional opportunities

61. Visual Impairment ACTIVITY
In a small group, use the cards to
separate the various activities and
suggestions into the categories listed on
the slide.

62. Group Activities - ACTIVITY
Camping
Pitching a Tent
Whipping
Tying Knots
Lashing
Nature
First Aid
Hiking
Using Maps
Compass Skills
Physical Fitness

63. Cognitive, Intellectual, and
Developmental Disabilities

64. Should the Term “Mental Retardation” Be Used?
The American
It is characterized by
Association on It is important to noted
significant limitations in
Intellectual and that “mental
intellectual functioning
Developmental retardation” offers
and adaptive behavior
Disabilities defines special protections in
as expressed in
“mental retardation” is a key areas of state and
conceptual, social, and
disability that occurs federal policy.
practical adaptive skills.
before age 18.

65. What Is Mental Retardation?
An individual is considered to have mental retardation (or more appropriately a
cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disability) when these three criteria are
met:
Intellectual
functioning level
(IQ) below 70-75
Significant • Daily skills needed to live, work, and play in the
limitations in two community
• Communication, self-care, home living, social
or more adaptive skills, leisure, health and safety, self-
skill areas direction, functional academics, community use, & work
Preexisting mental
condition as a
child (defined as
age 18 or less)

66. Questions Regarding Cognitive, Intellectual, and
Developmental Disabilities

67. Additional Concerns and Issues
Activities of Common Interest
Uniforming
Leader Helps
Faith, Hope, Understanding & Desire
Scouting Spirit
Immediate & Frequent Recognition
Learn by Teaching
Selecting a Unit

68. Appendix
Fact Sheets and Forms

69. Appendix
Resources

70. Appendix
Best Practices and Additional Resources