Practical tips for leaders
Practical tips for leaders
- For young people, talk to parents/carers and with the young person themselves, plan any support that they feel would be beneficial. You may find the parent/carer framework useful.
- Be flexible and responsive to the needs of the person with dyspraxia. Plan your programme so that they can be included, with support if necessary.
- Emphasise what an individual with dyspraxia can do, not what they can’t. Don’t assume they won’t be able to, or won’t want to do a physical activity.
- A young person may need supervision and encouragement to stay on a task.
Allow the individual plenty of time to organise their thoughts and complete their task. - Break down activities/tasks into small components.
- When demonstrating a new skill to young people, allow the young person with dyspraxia to watch others first before they take their turn.
- Gauge how long a young person can concentrate on a task. Make reasonable adjustments to avoid them losing concentration or becoming frustrated.
- Young people may struggle with everyday tasks such as fastening the buttons on their uniform so on occasions when the young person is away from home, such as camping, discuss needs in advance and consider alternatives such as allowing them to wear a different item of clothing.
- Additional support may be needed when camping or activities such as hiking – for example help packing bags or equipment, shorter sections of a walk to allow additional breaks, a walking buddy, a shorter route option for those who find walking long distances hard – check with the individual what will help them whilst still providing them with a challenging and exciting programme.
- Consider alternative ways of how a person with dyspraxia can take part in team/ball games which enables them to utilise their strengths.
- When undertaking fine motor tasks such as colouring, cutting or washing up, consider what equipment might provide support or whether joint activities with a peer may help.
Parent/carer framework
Use the parent/carer framework to discuss how you can best support a young person through Scouts.
Working in partnership with Parents and Carers