Scouting for Children with Special Educational Needs

Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need in order to be successful.

There is no Scouting Program for Children with Disabilities in Bhutan. So being a SCout leader and Special Educator, I realized that such a program is necessary for our children with special educational needs in the school.  Therefore, I have initiated this program as a trial in my previous school (Trongsa). I am SENCo in the school as well as Scout Focal Person in the school.

Rational

Scouting contributes to building communities that recognize and value diversity where there is a place for everyone. It is very important to recognize that inclusion within Scouting plays an important role in modifying community attitudes towards people living with disabilities.  

Scouting helps improve the self-confidence & self-esteem of children and young people with disabilities. 

Considering inclusive and diversity, the children living with disabilities should be given equal opportunity both in education and co-curricular activities.

Scouting is probably the one place where a youth who has a disability can be treated without any label attached. The scouting program is structured in such a way that a youth/student who has a disability can achieve and accommodate where appropriate.

In scouting, a disability is any health condition, impairment, or functional problem that could make it difficult for a young person or adult to access or participate in activities (World Scout Bureau. P.5).

Without assistance and attention, people with disabilities may be marginalized, and excluded from the Scout activities. 

Disabilities don’t mean only physical, there are many types of disabilities such as cognitive, behavioral, or learning disabilities. Mobility impairments, speech-language impairment, and vision or hearing impairment. So there could be several children in our school with such disabilities, and they shouldn’t be neglected and excluded.

Disability is a general or umbrella term used to designate any impairment of body function or participation restriction.      

It doesn’t mean all scouts should be good at performing deal, dance, and physical activities. We can always do physical accommodation in such cases. We need to be creative in ways to help them.     

Many children with disabilities don’t have enough opportunities to discover, prove, and improve themselves in society due to their disabilities, and lack of opportunities to prove themselves. 

In my previous school (Tshangkha Central School under Trongsa Dzongkhag) all the children living with disabilities are enrolled in Scouting. Scouts take responsibility for those with special needs in their Patrol and help them during activities.

Vision:

“Persons With Disabilities are actively and equitably participate in the scouting program and improve their self-confidence & self-esteem.’’

Mission:

“To ensure People With Disabilities are given equal opportunities for developing skills for life & to overcome their challenges.” 

Objectives:

In view of an inclusive and diverse, the children living with disabilities should be given an equal opportunity both in education and co-curricular activities.

Without assistance and attention, people with disabilities may be marginalized, and excluded from the Scout activities. 

It also provides children with disabilities with opportunities, which helps them to grow in their confidence and feel cared for. Ultimately, the hope is to help them become happy and confident members of society.

For successful implementation of scouting for those children the process, content, and syllabus should be modified and adapted. What is the modification?

It is a significant change made to the curriculum that enables a student to be successful.  Modifications pertain to changing curricular objectives and more commonly they pertain to significant reductions in the traditional curriculum. (Participation, goals, curriculum)

Examples: Creating opportunities for every child to participate in any activities

(Showing a scout sign or handshake while other scouts salute)

Components of Modification

1. Participation:  Encourage some type of participation or involvement by the scout.

             Example

• Have the scout show scout sign or handshake while others salute or march pass
• Have scouts be responsible for watering plants while others record data in plant experiment

2. Alternate Goal: Adapt the goal or outcome expectations but the materials are the same

       Example

• The student is responsible for labeling body parts with simple vocabulary (knee vs patella) rather than scientific vocabulary

3. Substitute Curriculum: Individual goals are met in the regular education classroom

             Example

• Scout is working on the theory part while the rest of the scout maybe engaged in drill activities or smartness and good order.

What is adaptation?

It is any small changes or instructional tools that enable a student with special educational needs to access curricular content or to more easily demonstrate an understanding of that content. ( Size, time, level of support, input, output, and organization)

Examples: Teaching styles, materials used, classroom support, classroom environment

How to adapt?

Size

Adapt the numbers of items the learner is expected to learn and complete

Time

Adapt the time allotted for learning the task, completion or testing

Level of Support

Increase the amount of personal assistance with a specific learner

Input

Adapt the way the instruction is delivered to the learner

Output

Adapt how the learner can respond to instruction

Organization

Provide strategies to organize instructional content.

Components of Adaptations:

     Size

• Reduce activity/assignments
• Break longer presentations into shorter ones
• Hand worksheets or pages one at a time

     Time

• Provide extra time to complete tasks
• Individualize a timeline for completing a task
• Arrange for extra time for review or practice of skills
• Utilize a monthly calendar to foresee future assignments

      Level of support

• Assign peer buddies like let them work in a Patrol
• Utilize teaching assistants like Leadership Scouts and/ or senior Scouts
  • • Allow Scout to work in a small group to complete activity
    • Shorten instructions
    • Reduce activity

      Organizational

• Instruction always written on board as well as given orally
• Provide Scouts with handouts that are already prepared

   Input

• Present information through a multisensory approach (e.g-visual, auditory, concrete/hands-on)

• Write key points on the board or overhead and read them aloud
• Use samples of finished products as models
• Include a variety of activities during each lesson
• Use verbal cues for important ideas

    Output

• Provide several options for Scouts to demonstrate knowledge (oral, written, artwork)
• Allow extra credit projects to earn proficiency badges
• Allow tape-recording of lessons
• Have student review key point orally
• Ask questions requiring short answers
• Encourage Scouts to use mnemonics

Source: SEN Team Manual, US Special Education Advisory Committee, Accommodation, April 17, 2013     

Thank You

Dawa Drukpa

ALT scout

Special Educational Need Service Provider