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The opinions expressed in the forums below are the opinions of the individuals only and not of the ACN. The Autism Community Network reserves the right to choose whether to publish or edit any information provided for distribution to members or interested parties. Any dealings with members of this network must at all times be conducted in a manner based on mutual courtesy and respect. Failure to observe this may result in exclusion from this network.
Scouts for our ASD Child
Helen is looking at putting her son into scouts to help with his social skills and would like to get feedback from any other familiy who have had experience with this. She lives in the StGeorge area so if you also know of any local groups which cater to kids on the spectrum it would be helpful for her.
As always, all feedback will be forwarded to the parent who has asked and may also be posted on our website to help other families with similar interests or issues.
As always, all feedback will be forwarded to the parent who has asked and may also be posted on our website to help other families with similar interests or issues.
I have both my boys at Scouts and they love it. It has been great for their social interaction. In the way of a group for kids on the spectrum, I haven't found one as yet. They take the children into the main steam groups and I feel it depends on the leader, to how well it works for the individual family.
I have made myself very available to be a parent helper at the groups and this has been received with open arms. I let the leaders be leaders and only step in when needed. I feel it is great for my boys to be able to follow other peoples directions and not have me step in all the time. Scouts has been great for this.
I hope this has been of some help,
Caroline :o)
Scouts has a special needs coordinator at NSW level that assists with transition into the scout troop and support for the volunteer leaders - call 9735 9000 for more info.
Similarly, Girl Guides has Anne Knight (State Special Needs Consultant - Contactable through Lisa Harris on 8396
5200) who does the above as well as coordinate a team of trained leaders in each region - e.g. northern sydney, blue mountains - to support local volunteers). Anne is also about to release a website for parents of girls with special needs in Guiding (funded by the Department of Education). The website will have video profiles on girls, parents and leaders to explain what Guides is and how it can be socially beneficial for girls with ASDs, Down Syndrome, Physical disabilities, Sensory needs etc. I'll send through the link once the website has been uploaded.
Lauren
District School Counsellor
Hi Steve this message is for the benefit of Helen who is looking at putting her son into Scouts group.
I did that with my son when he was little and he joined the CUBS. It was very good for him and gave him a group to belong to besides learning new skills. Be prepared that he may not learn as fast or as well as the rest but that really should not be a great concern as long as he enjoys it and is having fun and looks forward to it each week.
The leaders we had were extremely kind and good and dedicated.
Then we went overseas and could not find a group until after a while and the dynamics were different so eventually we quit
the group. When we returned to Australia after haveing been 2 years overseas, there were alot of changes again in his routine and he never rejoined any group. But it was good while it lasted for him. He was excited about going every week and he had lots of fun but he never enjoyed the group overseas and even refused to attend on some weeks. So the right group is very important to his success. My suggestion is to go ahead and join a group but at the same time monitor very closely his interest in, and integration into the group. Maybe she can visit the group on her own first and then when she feels it is suitable,
arrange with them for her son to have a visit.
All the best to her and her son in this new opportunity / adventure.
Regards
Peck
I have just spoken to Scouts Australia and they told me that as far as ASD children go there is no specific criteria, policy or branch. They would be intergrated into any of the scout clubs. Any one who would be interested in putting their child into a scout club are welcome to contact them if they need information regarding a local club otherwise they can complete the enquiry form at this link (which I have just done). NB, it is for boys and girls
http://www.nsw.scouts.com.au/
Liz
Hi Steve,
Thought I'd pass on this contact at Hurstville club - Helen Dwyer 9587 2268
When I was speaking to Paula today she mentioned for parents in the North (Karingai), 1st Cromhurst would be a good club to
contact, and in the south, Bangor.
I have found this map of clubs in the north and each suburb has a tab with contacts.
http://sydneynorthscouts.com/default.asp?p=549
In the south I couldn't find a map but a website dedicated to the south:
http://www.southmetscouts.com/page.asp?id=1
Hope this helps.
Liz
Our son went to Joeys - the infant school version of Scouts when he was about 6 or 7 (he is now 21) on Sydney's Northern Beaches at Curl Curl. I wanted him to have contact with non disabled children, as he was in a support class for moderately intellectually disabled students. The main reason for being in this class was his behaviour, which was very ratty and non-conformist and extremely challenging. I desperately wanted him to make friends, have fun and learn some life skills. The success of the group depended entirely on the leaders - two strong women who could handle his behaviour within the group. There were times when he was too out-of-control for them to manage him, because it was after school and he might have had a particularly bad day at school. For me, it was very stressful, but I really wanted him to have the opportunity to interact with
other mainstream children. I have a beautiful photo of our Tom, in his school uniform, with Joey scarf on, being inducted into the group and doing the Scout handshake (so proud of that boy!) He has a gorgeous proud smile on his face and the leader of the group obviously felt a great sense of achievement about him joining the group.
He didn't go on to cubs or scouts. I'm not sure why. It was probably a combination of factors. He never fit into groups well and always needed more support than other kids to keep him on track and keep things positive for him. I was dealing with my own depression and was very stressed most of the time. I would have loved him to do more mainstream activities and if there had been someone available to take him and help integrate him, that would have been fantastic. I did find such a person a few times and that was a huge help.
For yourself, I say give it a try, if you have the energy and support. Talk to the leader of the group and explain your son's needs as honestly and fully as you can. I think communication is key. If you can go with a friend who knows you and your son, that will give you more support, as managing our children can be very isolating. as you already know. You need to look after
yourself! Good luck!
Jo
I have had a fair bit Steve. Good and bad. We started off at one Scout group and this did not go well even though the leaders insisted they'd autisitic kids go thru to Venturers. In the end my son got bullied by the type A boys in his group.
So we changed. We came across Cromehurst Special Needs Scouts at Lindfield. This troop lovely and caters more for special needs kids! My son loves it and has learned a lot already. And the other kids love him!
Melanie
Hi Steve,
Mitchell was a member of Bangor Scouts for three years. The scouts are a great group to be part off as it is one of their
mottos to accept all people including people with disabilities. ( I actually think from observing some of the scout leaders, that some may be on the spectrum also!) He loved being part of the group as many different and fun activities were organised from week to week. He was treated with respect and was always included in the group activities. We only had one issue of bullying which was quickly resolved. He even went on an overnight camp with the scouts,( which he didn’t like).
It is probably best to approach the local scout group leader and introduce the child and explain their strengths and weaknesses. The group leader should be happy to accept the responsibility or I wouldn’t join up .
The scouts actually have a special group for children with a disability who require more
support.
Cheers
Najwa
Hello Steve
Don’t know if this helps, but I know of some young men who had intellectual disability who participated in Bangor Scouts; one of the young men had autism.
Marie
ADHC
Hi Steve
There are some groups which offer additional support but these are in Lindfield, Bangor and Newcastle unless more have been formed in the last few months.
If Helen would like to call 9735 9000 they will be able to give her information about groups in her area.
Or of course go to www.nsw.scouts.com.au
Charlotte
ASPECT
Hi Steve,
Strange that I received this email from you as I was writing a letter to Max's cubs group about him leaving the group as his disability was not respected.
Hmmm. I hope Helen will have better luck!
Andrea
Our 12 yr old started scouts this year and it has been really worthwhile. However I made my husband join as well as he used to be a scout so they always go together as I wouldn't feel comfortable sending him off by himself. They have a great time (mostly) and Josh has had a few overnight camps which at times were a bit challenging for him but now he is fine to spend 2 nights out in the bush. They get to experience such great things that we don't necessarily do these days and there are a few other
'quirky' kids in the group all with various diagnosis's. Our experiences so far have been great and I'm so glad he joined. Obviously you need to do some research into your local groups as they vary greatly. We joined one a few suburbs away from where we live as it was highly recommended, we had to go on a waiting list for 6 months to get it but it was worth the wait. I have also found the other kids to be very helpful and kind.
Good luck.
Sue
Hi
Both our sons did scouts and it was good for them. If you have the right leaders who are understanding of the child's limitations and anxieties.
Ali
Hi Steve, our social Clubs program might be another option
Contact is Beth Del Rosario Admin Officer 8868 8500 for info.
Kind regards
Jane (ASPECT)
