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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

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Practical tips for leaders

Practical tips for leaders

Here are some principles and strategies for supporting autistic people.

Many can be useful for the section as a whole. The principles outlined here can also be relevant to consider when supporting with and working alongside autistic people in Scouts.

  • You don't have to be an expert to support an autistic person, but you do need to be willing to see things from a different perspective and to care.

  • There're a range of simple adjustments, which can have a significant impact to help everyone access Scouts, and develop their full potential.

  • Remember that everyone's different; neurodiverse people bring many positive skills and attributes to a Scout Group.

  • Praise or reward appropriate behaviour. Using specific praise is best, so you need to tell the person exactly what it is that they've done well, such as ‘Thomas, well done for waiting for you turn.’

  • Take a positive approach to reducing any challenging behaviours - do some detective work using your knowledge of autism, to figure out what may have caused the behaviour and how you can prevent this next time.

  • Be patient.
  • When supporting young people, it's important to develop a good relationship with them and their parents or carers. The people they live with will be a valuable source of information about the young person's needs and any strategies that work well at school or home.

  • Make sure you know whether the autistic person knows about their diagnosis, and whether they’re happy to talk about it. It’s also important to check how they feel about other people in the group knowing about their diagnosis. They may not want anyone else to know, or they may want to tell others about it. This all depends on the individual, and their wishes must be respected.

  • Use the parent/carer framework as a tool to support you with your conversation. 
  • Ensure you have the autistic person's attention before you speak. It may be useful to use their name first, though this is a useful tip for communicating with anyone.
  • Reduce the number of words you use Break instructions into smaller step by step stages. If needed, use key words only. You could consider using pictures/symbols/writing on a white board to support understanding and memory. 
  • Remember the autistic person might not look at you. This doesn’t mean they're not listening. Eye contact can be painful for some autistic people and shouldn't be forced.
  • Check for understanding by asking questions, such as ‘What do you need to do first?’, or having a practice round of a game.
  • Be clear and literal, so say what you actually mean and avoid sarcasm or sayings. Try to avoid metaphors and colloquialisms, such as ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’, as these can be confusing and make people worry.
  • Avoid shouting. The autistic person may not understand why you're shouting and could find this distressing, particularly if they're hypersensitive to noise. 

 

  • Remember that autistic young people might need more support to make friends.
  • Consider gently helping them to start a conversation or activity with other members of the group.
  • You might be able to find a kind and reliable young person to be their ‘buddy’.
  • Remember that an autistic person may not realise if what they’re doing appears to be rude or inappropriate. They need understanding from supportive adults.
  • Give time for the autistic person to process information. You can use the National Autistic Society's '6 second rule'. You should count to 6 in your head before repeating an instruction. If you do need to repeat an instruction, don’t rephrase it, so keep it simple and repeat the same instruction again. This is a useful tool for anyone who has difficulties understanding or who needs extra processing time.
  • Be patient 
  • Many autistic people often understand and learn best visually. You could be creative and use pictures, symbols, actions, written lists or practical demonstrations

  • A timetable or calendar can help to prepare for upcoming changes, such as trips or special events, or to understand what's happening when a routine is different, such as on camps.

  • You can find more information on our visual supports page.

 

  • Consider the décor, lighting and sound in your meeting place. Are there features that might be distracting, or make the space uncomfortable for individuals with sensory differences?

  • Have a calm and quiet space for young people to go to if they become anxious or frustrated. This could be a separate room if one is available and safe or could be a corridor, outside or cornered off area in the hall. It may be worth keeping this area cool in temperature. If someone's frustrated or angry,  they're more likely to be warm. 

  • If the autistic person has trouble communicating that they need a break, you could allow them to take themselves to their safe area or introduce a 'time out card' which can be handed to the a volunteer to request a break.
  • Your sessions may already have some sort of routine. Try to make sure you stick to the same format as far as possible, and give the autistic person a visual plan of your usual routine

  • Help new young people learn the structures and routines that are already part of meetings or events – e.g. it may help to have things like the Promise written down

  • Let the autistic person know in advance what you’ll be doing in each session

  • Give them as much notice as possible if there’s a change to routine or changes between activities – e.g. giving a 5-minute warning or using a timer

  • Explain what is happening first and next- consider seeking additional adult volunteers to provide some extra guidance and reassurance

  • If you are going somewhere new (for example, on a trip) help the autistic person to prepare in advance. For young people, work with parents and carers (and the young person themselves, if appropriate) to decide how to do this. For example, would looking at photos of where you’re going help? Would it be best to visit with a parent or carer before the trip? Do they need extra support for this trip to help them manage the change?

  • If you’re planning an overnight camping trip, it’s especially important to work with parents and carers (and the young person themselves, if appropriate) to decide how to best support the young person. It might help to give them clear information about the timetable for the trip and the routine for each day. Check what food the young person would be most comfortable with, as many autistic people like to eat the same food each day. Check if they have any particular bedtime routines that they’ll need to follow, and find out if there are any familiar objects they’d like to bring from home to help them feel more comfortable.
  • Keep the rules short and explicit and help and remind an autistic young person what's expected of them and the rules they need to follow. Having the rules presented visually can help, too.
  • It'd be sensible to discuss clearly when a rule can be broken. For example if there is a rule to not leave the hall under any circumstances during Scouts, be clear that in the event of a fire, they're allowed to leave the hall as an emergency. 
  • Be specific about any tasks you ask an autistic person to complete and realistic about how much they can complete in the time available. It can be very difficult for some autistic people to move on if they don't feel they've managed to finish a task.
  • Discuss with the parent or carer how to best introduce a new young person to your Section. Would it be helpful for them to visit a meeting before they start attending? Would some written information or even some photographs be useful, so they know what to expect?  
  • Work with the parent or carer to make activities in your programme accessible to all members. This may involve making some adaptations on your part, such as adapting the way you give instructions, being aware of the level of noise, and knowing when additional support will be required, such as activities involving teamwork.
  • Remember, you can adapt badge requirements or activities as part of making reasonable adjustments. You should aim to make the badge work accessible to all young people, including autistic young people.
  • You should prepare the autistic person in advance for any changes to your term programme. It may be helpful to issue a copy of the term’s activities in advance to help them prepare
  • You should try to find out what things make the autistic person stressed or anxious, and how they react to those things. You should also ask what the person needs you to do when they feel that way.
  • If the person is prone to running away, make sure that your meeting place is safe and include this information in their support plan 
  • Remember, a young person is not just joining your Section, so ensuring they can successfully move between the sections is important. 
  • Remember to plan ahead for their transition into the next Section. You could discuss with the parent or carer how to best welcome their young person with autism into your section.
  • Ask if it'd be helpful for them to visit a meeting or meet the volunteers before they start attending. You could see if some written information, or even some photographs, would be useful, too.
  • Make sure you know whether the person with autism knows about their diagnosis, and whether they’re happy to talk about it. Check how they feel about other people knowing about their diagnosis, too.
  • Be prepared to sensitively answer questions from other members about the autistic person's behaviours or communication style.
  • Remember, autistic people may be more vulnerable to teasing and bullying, and it's important that Scouts provides a supportive environment.
  • You should consider providing extra support or supervision, particularly if there're issues with sensing danger. Having extra adult volunteers could provide some additional support and this could be especially helpful at unstructured times, such as breaks. It’s important to think creatively and use experienced assistant section leaders to support young people with additional needs, while extra adult volunteers can support elsewhere in the section.
  • It's also good to remember that all young people in the section should be supporting each other. Our Scout structures support this. For example, in Cubs young people are in Sixes, supported by a Sixer and Seconder. However, another young person should never be the designated support.
  • It's important to discuss with the parent or carer how much supervision the young person will need. You should risk assess the young person's inclusion in Scouts, putting measures in place to reduce any risk to the young person as soon as they start in your section or group.
  • An upcoming trip or camp will probably be very exciting for most young people, but for an autistic young person there may be a lot more worries and anxiety about what will happen. Reassurance and further information about what to expect may be needed, such as sleeping arrangements, menus or a schedule. You could show the person photos, videos or pictures of where they'll be going, which may help to reduce any anxiety.

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

How to support people with autism to celebrate special occasions and events

We spoke to the National Autistic Society to ask their advice to help make special events, celebrations and occasions, such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Eid and Hanukkah, better for people with autism.

How to support people with autism to celebrate special occasions and events