Three Fires Council
Special Needs Report
May 2014
Special Needs Council Committee
Suzette Rizzi – Committee Chair
Objective and Methodology
Background and Objectives
The Three Fires Council Special Needs Committee is interested in understanding
the breakdown of Scouts with special needs throughout the council in order to
better serve the parents, volunteers, and Scouts. Specific objectives also include:
Understanding the various special needs that are represented within the
council
Determining where the committee may need to target specific trainings by
district
Understanding what the breakdown of different disabilities are within each
individual district
Determining where the committee may need to provide specific support and
resources to any individual district/unit based on special needs
Methodology
To meet the objectives of the survey, a one page special Needs survey was
submitted to the Council to be included with the 2014 re-charter packets for each
unit within each district of Three Fires Council. Surveys were also provided
electronically for volunteers and council staff upon request. Reminders were
submitted to each district by the Special Needs Committee Chair of that district
and also electronically submitted through The Flame newsletter within Three Fires
Council. All 11 district re-charters have been received. Rate of return percentages
for the surveys of each district varied from 22% to 95%. The District Special
Needs Committee Chair followed up with the individual units that were missing a
survey. The districts that did not have individual follow up due to no Special
Needs committee chair representation were; Thunderbird, Kishwaukee, Shabbona,
and Northern Trail.
This report includes all the findings from the survey. A copy of the survey, tables
of survey responses and registrar information are included in the report.
DETAILED FINDINGS
Survey Submitted
The survey submitted outlines general and specific disabilities/special needs. The
eleven districts included were; Chanonee, Chippewa, Foxfire, Fox Valley, Indian
Prairie, Kishwaukee, Maramech Hill, Northern Trail, Potawatomi, Shabbona, and
Thunderbird. The findings will be presented by district and overall Council totals.
Council-wide data on Non-traditional Scouting units will also be provided.
Three Fires Council
Special Needs Scouting Survey
Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has had fully participating members with
physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. Scouting gives youth with disabilities and special needs the
opportunity to participate like other youth. The Boy Scouts of America encourages the inclusion of
Scouts with disabilities and special needs in all of our units.
The purpose of this survey is to better understand the extent, demographics, and population of
special needs in the Three Fires Council. This information will help us to better serve our Scouts with
special needs and provide our leaders with resources and training to better serve our youth.
Please complete the survey to the best of your ability, and return with your re-chartering packet.
UNIT #:
DISTRICT:
# Scouts in Unit:
DATE:
# Scouts with special needs:
Your Name:
Phone #:
Position:
E-Mail:
# of Scouts
Autism Spectrum
Other
ADHD
# of Scouts
Cerebral Palsy
Learning Disabilities
Spinal Bifida
Epilepsy
Emotional Disabilities
Muscular Dystrophy
Diabetes
Mobility Impairments
Depression
Panic or Anxiety Disorder
Speech Impairments
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Hearing Impairments
Visual Impairments
Down syndrome
How many of your Scouts with special needs have earned Eagle? _______
Tourette's syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Has more than one diagnosis
&
List 2 most prevalent
Other (Please fill out appropriate boxes under other).
List 2 most prevalent
Council-wide totals
Based on a total of 468 traditional units, survey data was received from 181 units
resulting in a return rate of 39% Council-wide. This 39% represented
approximately 5157 of the total 17,224 traditional Scouts. The number of Scouts
with special needs totaled 581 or 11.27%. Please note that this number does not
include the Non-Traditional units that are exclusively Scouts with special needs.
There are five districts in the council that have non-traditional units. Within these
five districts, there are a total of 14 non-traditional units that have a total of 776
Scouts with special needs. Troop #2121 from Maramech Hill and Pack #305 from
Foxfire district were the only two units included with the traditional unit numbers
as they operate as traditional units and the specific data for these two units were
provided in the re-charter packets.
Overall, including both traditional and non-traditional units, there are
approximately 18,004 total scouts registered in Three Fires Council. Based on the
above mentioned data, total Scouts with special needs within Three Fires
Council is projected at 2,718 or 15.05%. The breakdown of special needs
represented were:
Special Need
total
% Scouts
% SN Scouts
Autism Spectrum
96
1.86%
17%
ADHD
275
5.33%
47%
Learning Disability
41
0.80%
7%
Emotional Disability
28
0.54%
5%
Mobility Impairments
6
0.12%
1%
Speech Impairments
15
0.29%
3%
Hearing Impairments
9
0.17%
2%
Visual Impairments
8
0.16%
1%
Down Syndrome
7
0.14%
1%
Tourette’s Syndrome
3
0.06%
1%
Multiple Diagnosis
36
0.70%
6%
Other
57
1.11%
10%
The category of “other “was provided for disorders that were specific in nature, or
did not accurately fall within the original criteria provided. The disorders included
but were not limited to; Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Epilepsy, Muscular
Dystrophy, Diabetes, Depression, Anxiety disorder, Post traumatic stress disorder,
Obsessive Compulsive disorder, Heart disease, Allergies, Asthma, severe food
allergies, and Crohn’s disease.
The category of “multiple diagnosis” includes all previous listed diagnosis where
appropriate. This category is exclusively for Scouts that may have more than one
and up to multiple diagnosis.
Non-Traditional Special Needs units
Five districts within the council also have non-traditional special needs units. The
Scouts in these units range in age, are coded special needs and registered beyond
the age of eligibility. Specific data from some of the units was not included in the
survey information as the specific data was not made available due to
confidentiality of the specialized units.
Foxfire district
Pack 4
7 Scouts
Pack 305
5 Scouts (included with district data)
Fox Valley
Troop 128 103 Scouts
Indian Prairie
Pack 160
50 Scouts
Pack 161
100 Scouts
Pack 162
120 Scouts
Pack 164
120 Scouts
Pack 165
70 Scouts
Pack 168
150 Scouts
Pack 169
5 Scouts
Troop 162 20 Scouts
Troop 163 6 Scouts
Maramech Hill
Pack 2121 5 Scouts (included with district data)
Thunderbird
Pack 2500 15 Scouts
Total
14 units
776 Scouts
766 Scouts (included in non-traditional data)
Chanonee District
There are a total of 46 units within Chanonee district. There were 15 units that
completed the survey which represented a 33% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 488 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts identified
with special needs was 31 or 6.35%. The identified special needs were:
Chanonee
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Autism
Spectrum
Totals
5
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Mobility Impairments
Visual Impairments
Tourette's Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
10
Learning
Disability
4
Emotional
Disability
3
Scouts
1%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
SN
16%
32%
13%
10%
3%
3%
3%
16%
3%
6.35%
100%
Mobility
Visual
1
1
Tourette's
Syndrome
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
5
other
1
Chippewa District
There are a total of 25 units within the Chippewa district. There were 7 units that
completed the survey which represented a 28% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 105 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 16 or 15.24%. The identified special needs were:
Chippewa
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
1
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Speech Impairments
Hearing Impairments
Down Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
ADHD
Speech
Hearing
8
1
1
Scouts
1%
8%
1%
1%
1%
4%
SN
6%
50%
6%
6%
6%
26%
15.24%
100%
Down
Syndrome
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
4
Foxfire District
There are a total of 22 units within the Foxfire district. There were 21 units that
completed the survey which represented a 95% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 384 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 73 or 19.01%. The identified special needs were:
Foxfire
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
19
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Speech Impairments
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
40
Learning
Disability
3
Scouts
5%
10%
1%
2%
0%
0%
1%
SN
27%
55%
4%
8%
1%
1%
4%
19.01%
100%
Emotional
Disability
6
Speech
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
1
other
3
Fox Valley
There are a total of 59 units within the Fox Valley district. There were 19 units
that completed the survey which represented a 32% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 846 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 83 or 9.81%. The identified special needs were:
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Mobility Impairments
Speech Impairments
Hearing Impairments
Down Syndrome
Tourette's Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
Scouts
1%
6%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
SN
9%
60%
2%
5%
1%
5%
5%
1%
1%
1%
10%
9.81%
100%
Indian Prairie
There are a total of 48 units within the Indian Prairie district. There were 13 units
that completed the survey which represented a 27% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 507 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 63 or 12.43%. The identified special needs were:
Indian Prairie
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Autism
Spectrum
Totals
9
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Mobility Impairments
Speech Impairments
Hearing Impairments
Visual Impairments
Down Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
38
Learning
Disability
3
Mobility
Speech
Hearing
Visual
1
1
2
1
Scouts
2%
7%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
SN
14%
60%
5%
2%
2%
3%
2%
2%
2%
8%
12.43%
100%
Down
Multiple
Syndrome Diagnosis
1
1
other
5
Kishwaukee
There are a total of 37 units within the Kishwaukee district. There were 12 units
that completed the survey which represented a 32% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 198 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 23 or 11.62%. The identified special needs were:
Kishwaukee
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
7
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Visual Impairments
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
9
Learning
Disabilities
2
Scouts
4%
5%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
SN
30%
39%
9%
4%
4%
4%
9%
11.62%
100%
Emotional
Disabilities
1
Visual
Impairments
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
1
Other
2
Maramech Hill
There are a total of 46 units within the Maramech Hill district. There were 36 units
that completed the survey which represented a 78% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 1141 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 112 or 9.82%. The identified special needs were:
Maramech Hill
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Autism
Spectrum
Totals
25
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Mobility Impairments
Speech Impairments
Hearing Impairments
Visual Impairments
Down Syndrome
Tourette's Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
40
Learning Emotional
Disability Disability
12
1
Scouts
SN
2%
23%
4%
37%
1%
11%
0%
1%
0%
1%
1%
6%
0%
1%
0%
2%
0%
2%
0%
1%
0%
5%
1%
11%
9.82%
100%
Mobility
Speech
Hearing
Visual
1
6
1
2
Down
Tourette's Multiple
Syndrome Syndrome Diagnosis
2
1
5
Other
12
Northern Trail
There are a total of 30 units within the Northern Trail district. There were 11 units
that completed the survey which represented a 37% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 285 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 43 or 15.09%. The identified special needs were:
Northern Trail
25
20
15
10
5
0
Totals
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Mobility Impairments
Speech Impairments
Visual Impairments
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
Autism
Spectrum
5
ADHD
Mobility
Speech
Visual
23
1
2
1
Scouts
2%
8%
0%
1%
0%
1%
3%
SN
12%
53%
2%
5%
2%
7%
19%
15.09%
100%
Multiple
Diagnosis
3
other
8
Potawatomi Trails
There are a total of 40 units within the Potawatomi district. There were 19 units
that completed the survey which represented a 48% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 583 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 55 or 9.43%. The identified special needs were:
Potawatomi Trails
25
20
15
10
5
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
8
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Hearing Impairments
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
23
Learning
Disability
8
Scouts
1%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
SN
15%
42%
15%
18%
2%
5%
4%
9.43%
100%
Emotional
Disability
10
Hearing
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
3
other
2
Shabbona
There are a total of 55 units within the Shabbona district. There were 14 units that
completed the survey which represented a 25% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 323 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 41 or 12.69%. The identified special needs were:
Shabbona
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
3
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Mobility Impairments
Visual Impairments
Down Syndrome
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
15
Learning
Disabilities
4
Scouts
1%
5%
1%
0%
0%
0%
1%
3%
1%
SN
7%
37%
10%
2%
2%
2%
5%
25%
10%
12.69%
100%
Emotional
Disabilities
1
Mobility
Visual
Impairments Impairments
1
1
Down
Syndrome
2
Multiple
Diagnosis
10
Other
4
Thunderbird
There are a total of 60 units within the Thunderbird district. There were 13 units
that completed the survey which represented a 22% rate of return. Based on the
surveys provided, of the 297 Scouts accounted for, the number of Scouts with
special needs identified was 38 or 12.79%. The identified special needs were:
Thunderbird
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Totals
Autism
Spectrum
6
Autism Spectrum
ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Visual Impairments
Multiple Diagnosis
Other
ADHD
Learning
Disabilities
2
17
Scouts
SN
2%
16%
6%
45%
1%
5%
1%
5%
0%
3%
1%
5%
3%
21%
12.79%
100%
Emotional
Disabilities
2
Visual
1
Multiple
Diagnosis
2
Other
8