Able Scouts

A report on the Mini-Conference held April 21-22 of this year in Houston, TX, by Abilities Digest writer Janet Kelly.

In quiet conversations, you could hear several of the participants sharing thoughts and ideas in regard to many of the things they were learning at the National Special Needs and Disabilities Conference, Understanding Behavior and Mental Health in Scouting in Houston, Texas, April 21 and 22. The conference was put on by some of the members of the National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee and hosted by Sam Houston Area Council.

Swee Ng, District Commissioner from Iron Horse District, Sam Houston Area Council voiced some of her feelings after attending the conference:

Oh my goodness! For those of you who are Wood Badgers, do you remember the feelings you had after you walked out at the end of each Wood Badge weekend? You just kept doing the Wood Badge talk? I have had similar feelings and for two days couldn’t stop talking to my husband on my way home from the National Spe-cial Needs and Disabilities Conference.

This was a very informative, intense workshop. There was never a dull moment, just like at Wood Badge! I had not been sleeping much right around conference time. In fact, I had only gotten 4 hours of rest on that Friday night. Yet Saturday, I never lost my focus, because every session was so interactive and interesting. I had many WOW and WHOA moments. To be honest, I needed to wipe away my tears a few times.

I walked in without knowing anything about how to approach my daughter’s recent unusual, intense anxiety. Now I have materials to read so that I can better educate myself. The resources I received from the presenters at the conference shed much light on how I can help my daughter cope. I never thought nor imagined I would get such amazing support from all who attended.

Sparked by some very well-spoken youth from the City of Houston’s Office of Education Youth Council, the sidebar conversations expressed amazement at how well these young people explained mental health issues regarding the youth in the city. They spoke about suicide, bullying, societal pressures, depression, anxiety, and self-isolation. One of the speakers said, “We put expectations on self and others. This causes undue chaos leading up to a breaking point. If your body and mind aren’t doing well, you need to be taking time for yourself. You need to get the support from others to see you through.” Yep….that’s it in a nutshell.

Dr. Ken Monfort from Monfort Psychology Associates: “ALL behavior is communication.” We may wonder why a youth is behaving the way they do. There is always a reason behind the behavior. You could try these suggestions:

• Slow down your speech. You would be surprised to see what happens when you give a Scout time to process information.
• Give your Scout a sense of independence simply by keeping a schedule board that they participate in developing. Color coded sticky notes can be moved easily around the board.
• Give socialization opportunities throughout the week.
• Include opportunities to practice social skills such a turn-taking. Find socially appropriate ways to fit them into the environment.
• Provide a bit of structure that fosters the dynamics of interacting well with others.
• Turn their uniqueness into their strengths!

Dr. Josh Rotenberg, board certified in child neurology and certified in sleep medicine (among other disciplines): “Sleep should be a priority in Scouting! Speak to it from a safety perspective.” In this day and age with so many electronic distractions, sleep doesn’t come easily to those who play electronic games into the night. Neither does sleep come easily to those who are anxious, upset, or unhappy about camp, about those they are in the tent with, or any myriad of issues that come on in the nighttime. Sleeplessness can cause disorientation and poor judgment more often than not. Sleep is essential for all of us to function well during the daytime hours. Planning time to sleep and making sure that is happening is critical.

Gayle Fisher, M Ed, advocate mom of a son on the spectrum: “Breathing exercises will help the jitters and anxiety.” Using apps online can help with calming. There is a great need for enough sleep time in order to get rid of cellular debris. Intrinsic rewards are better than extrinsic rewards, but sometimes both need to be used. Empowerment comes through responsibility. Create ways and reasons for youth to practice this. Guide and role model. Play with them and encourage them. Love them most of all.

One of the participants, Laura Sawgle, commented: “We are here to give each other confidence. We are here for scared parents.” Her son now has the skills to live on his own because of his Scouting journey. Your child can be where her son is at, too. Give them a lot of love and understanding.
Another participant, Connie Oubre, said: “Behavior and mental health speaks to all youth and leaders and we need to ask ourselves, ’How are we modeling to our youth?’ “ No other explanation is needed.

There were many other takeaways from this conference that are now at work across the country building a stronger nation one Scout at a time.