Imagine for a minute that your child’s entire life consisted of school, home and doctor’s appointments. No friends, no play dates and no sports teams.
For many parents with children who have sensory disorders, that is a way of life. However, a former Washougal resident is trying to change this.
Deanna Pehrson is cub master for Cub Scout Pack 2, a newly formed group for scouts with sensory issues. She decided to start the group after her son Preston, who has moderate autism, went to three different scouting packs in one year.
“He is high functioning so I thought it was a matter of finding a pack where I could be there to monitor him,” she said. “But he still has a hard time when things are unstructured or transition too quickly. I just kept searching and searching for the right fit.”
After a sometimes trying year, Pehrson met with Brian Blackley, a district executive of the Cascade Pacific Council for Scouting. He brought in John Krejcha, a scouting volunteer who runs an autism advocacy group.