Junior and soon-to-be Eagle Scout Richard Williams spent his Friday night—Oct. 15—in a tent, camped out at Johnson’s Mound in Elburn.
Williams, along with his dad, Sean, and another Boy Scout father and son, spent the night in the woods in preparation for Williams’ Eagle Project. Williams started Cub Scouts in the first grade. “I’ve been in scouting for a long time,” he said.
Now, ten years later, he has just been granted the “Eagle Scout” title—the highest possible rank in Boy Scouts.
Each prospective Eagle Scout develops a leadership service project, using the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook. Williams chose to tackle a project that he can relate to personally.
Just after 9 a.m. the next morning, nine kids between the ages of eight and 14 joined the campers at Johnson’s Mound. They all gathered in the woods, and though “not all the participants were there, so they started a little late,” once the mingling and activities began, the purpose of this project reached its climax.
Williams’ project was a one-time day camp specifically designed for kids with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD. Williams, who has both Asperger’s and ADHD, said he chose this particular project because he wants to help other people who have or will have to go through what he has.
The nine participants—plus two sibling just under the age bracket, who were invited to join in because “it just wouldn’t be fair” to leave them out—completed four different activities. Though “some might have been nervous about it at first,” Williams said, “the kids talked to each other about themselves. We even had an activity where they needed to do that.”
Each activity was specifically designed to enhance communication, teamwork and problem solving skills, with the kids’ specific difficulties in mind.
“I wanted to focus on things that would get them out of their shell, since kids with social disorders are withdrawn,” Williams said.
One activity, called Minefield, required the participants to navigate through a field of cones while blindfolded. They had to rely on their partners to give them instruction, which required communication and teamwork.
School psychologist John Markovich, who assisted at the day camp and knows Williams well, said he “was nervous initially, because they had to be blindfolded, but the kids responded really well and had a lot of fun.”
Not only was Minefield fun, but it also achieved its initial purpose.
“It helped them to realize that communication is essential. It’s something to get them to talk to each other, which is the hardest part,” Markovich said.
Williams knows all too well how difficult communication can be for people with Asperger’s, but he doesn’t see the condition as a burden.
“I think Asperger’s comes with problems, but it itself isn’t a problem,” he said. “To me, even though it is a mental disorder, it’s more of a blessing.”
He said that Asperger’s just allows him to have a different perspective of life—to think differently than others.
“A lot of people with Asperger’s see in black and white—not literally, but we tend to have a stronger sense of right and wrong,” Williams said. “I’m a bit more insightful,” he said, explaining that he finds himself constantly questioning morals and other people.
Markovich said that making friends and communicating with others is a constant struggle for those with Asperger’s, but it’s a lot easier once they are diagnosed. Usually, kids are diagnosed with ADHD or Asperger’s Syndrome at an early age, “but it depends on the severity,” he said.
Markovich said some early telltale signs of Asperger’s include unusual speech patterns and issues socializing with others. “They like rules, they like structure, they like routine and they focus their interests,” he said.
Williams was an exception. He was diagnosed the summer before his freshman year. He changed drastically that summer, and over the course of a few months, started working to develop his communications skills.
“I had to work a lot harder on making eye contact, keeping with the conversation, not being too focused on one particular subject, trying talk without stuttering,” Williams said. “I also worked on being less shy.”
Williams even changed schools. He transferred from Aurora Christian to Kaneland and began ninth grade at KHS.
“My parents thought—and I agreed—that I needed a fresh start in a place where no one knew me,” Williams said.
Since his freshman year, Markovich said he has seen changes in Williams. “He’s more willing to put himself out there,” Markovich said. “He’s more willing to take social risks.”
Markovich also said that Williams “has always been a good student,” but in the last few years he has learned something else: how to cope with everyday life and social stressors.
In his conversations, some may pick up Williams’ playful sarcasm, which he said has always been part of his life, but unless people know him personally, he said they rarely expect or understand all of his jokes.
However, there were times in Williams’ life where others’ “jokes” were not so laughable.
Williams said that some of the bullying he endured through his middle school years was very trying. “No matter how you reacted, it would get a rise out of them,” he said. Though Williams seems to be the master of perception, he said he’s never understood bullies. “I can get behind a lot of mindsets, but theirs is one I just can’t comprehend,” he said.
But with his fresh start at Kaneland, Williams was able to make new friends and escape his some of the persistent tormenters. He has even used his experiences as inspiration for his career choice—he wants to be a psychologist, so he can continue to help others like he has been helped.
Markovich said the most inspiring part of Williams’ camp was his message, which was simply “to not give up on the thing that you believe in, your dreams, just because you have disabilities.”
“For Richard’s project, he spoke to Peer Leadership, P.E. Leadership and teachers to seek volunteers,” Markovich said. For someone who has a social disorder, speaking to large groups can be especially difficult.
At the Peer Leadership meeting “everyone gave him a big round of applause,” and some of the staff members mentioned to Markovich how impressed and inspired they were by Williams.
“They could really appreciate the fact that he was able to stand up in front of all 70 of us and talk about the things that he has to deal with every day,” sophomore Kelsey Cotton, who is in Peer Leadership and helped out at the camp, said.
“Not only did he go out and handle his own fears, he went out with the intention of helping other people with the same fears he has,” Markovich said. “The beauty of it was his message. His message was it’s okay to be different and you can overcome being different—just because you have limitation doesn’t mean you have bounds.”