Teen with autism attains rank of Eagle Scout

Harrison Armstrong is justifiably proud of earning his Eagle Scout, the highest rank available in the Boy Scouts. But Armstrong had an additional challenge to overcome to achieve his goal – his autism.

Armstrong, 18 and a senior at Ferris High School, joined Boy Scouting at age 7 for a simple reason. “What I like is helping other people,” he said.

His mother, Gerriann Armstrong, said she appreciated the official Boy Scout policy of having her son try the same activities as his fellow Scouts without help before they offered him accommodations if he needed assistance. While that policy helped him, it also meant she had a few nervous moments.

“He’s throwing axes,” she said. “He’s learning how to make camp fires. That’s a Boy Scout thing.”

Armstrong is a member of Troop 71, which is affiliated with the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council. He said he liked learning the new skills he learned in the Boy Scouts. Once certain skills are learned, Scouts earn a merit badge. A Scout must have 13 merit badges in order to qualify to become an Eagle Scout. Armstrong has 32 on topics as diverse as citizenship and journalism.

One of the activities he did along the way was attend Camp Gifford since he was a young boy. The camp is run by the Salvation Army, where his mother works.

Each Scout is required to complete a project, including all the fundraising, planning and recruiting of volunteers, in order to earn the Eagle Scout rank. When it came time for Armstrong to select a project, he didn’t have to look far. He built two picnic tables that can be folded up and moved around for Camp Gifford, the place where he spent part of his summer every year.

“The picnic tables up there were a little rough and a little old,” his mother said. “They got a lot of use.”

His mother said Armstrong would never have been able to complete his goal if it weren’t for the men of Troop 71, who pledged to help him meet his goal.

“Without all of those people, he never would have made it,” she said. “Harrison wouldn’t be able to be an Eagle Scout without the people who came alongside him.”

Armstrong earned several of his merit badges online during the last year, his mother said. He devoted endless hours to meeting the requirements.

“Every day for three hours he logged into Zoom meetings,” she said.

Armstrong said he’s pleased that he was able to reach his goal. “That’s the highest rank you can get in scouting,” he said. “It took 10 years of hard work to do it. I just wanted to get the highest rank to finish it up.”

He noted many famous men have been Eagle Scouts. “President Gerald Ford did it, and astronaut Neil Armstrong did it,” he said.

His accomplishment is a first in his family, though he is a fourth generation Boy Scout. His great-grandfather, Adrian Armstrong, was a founding member of Troop 1 in Spokane. Despite that accomplishment, neither he nor his son nor his grandson were able to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Armstrong received his Eagle Scout certificate in a recent ceremony at Camp Gifford. His mother said she thought a couple dozen people might come, but was surprised to see nearly 80 people there.

“The room was packed,” she said.

She said she hoped Armstrong’s accomplishments would inspire other parents of children with autism to consider the Boy Scouts as an activity. While it might not be appropriate for every autistic child, it can be helpful to some.

“Harrison has classic autism,” she said. “Harrison is not diagnosed as high functioning.”

Her son regularly has speech and occupational therapy and is in special education classes, but gaining Eagle Scout proves he is more than his diagnosis, she said. “It doesn’t define who he is,” she said. “Harrison is just Harrison.”

The Boy Scouts offers hands-on learning that can be effective, she said. “Scouting for us has definitely been a way of life,” she said. “It’s always been fun for Harrison.”

Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com