Healing gardens can promote ecosystem services and therapeutic goals for youth with autismHorticultural therapy uses gardening and plant-based activities to achieve specific therapeutic treatment goals. This study explored the potential of a healing garden as a tool to promote therapeutic goals for young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while also promoting the role of ecosystem services in environmental sustainability and human well-being.
Eight male youth (age 15 to 23) with ASD participated in the study. Seven presented low-functioning autism; one, high functioning autism.The participants were engaged as “Biodiversity Custodians” in the development of a healing garden at “Centro SRED Il Girasole”, a rehabilitation and educational center for children and adults with disabilities located near the town of Morrano di Orvieto in Italy. A multidisciplinary team of healthcare and educational professionals, local people (volunteers and elderly farmers), and conservation researchers also participated in the development of the garden. The involvement of the youth with ASD was based on three therapeutic goals: (1) to promote initiative in verbal/gestural communication and interpersonal interactions and relationships; (2) to promote initiative in expressing will and undertaking a single task independently; and (3) to improve adaptive behaviors.
The Biodiversity Custodians (youth with ASD) participated in horticultural activities during weekly 4-hour sessions over a period of two years. While the sessions involved group activities, there was a 1:1 ratio between healthcare-educational professionals and participants. The participants were assessed in relation to their therapeutic goals before and after the study period by a specialized medical team. The medical experts conducting the assessments were not involved in the rehabilitation intervention; and neither the participants nor the professionals involved in the horticultural sessions were aware of the therapeutic goals. Activities during the horticultural sessions proceeded from sowing to plant cultivation to seed collection for the purpose of conservation of local biodiversity. These activities involved a continuous exchange of experiences between the Custodians and the local community, promoting social interaction and participation.
Pre/post assessment results showed that the young people with ASD made significant improvements in the areas of independence, adaptive behavior, and interaction skills. The project also demonstrated ways in which the proper management of healing gardens can enhance local plant biodiversity, which promotes individual, public, and environmental benefits simultaneously.
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