Nature-based learning can promote the well-being of autistic children by affirming and supporting their way of learningThe benefits of nature and nature-based learning (NBL) for children are well documented. Most of the research, however, focuses on children from the general population versus autistic children. This study addressed this gap in the literature by investigating three related research questions: “What are the perspectives of nature-based practitioners on engaging in NBL with their autistic students? What advice do they have for those contemplating engaging in NBL with autistic students? In what ways do practitioners influence NBL experiences for autistic students?”
Fourteen educators with experience in NBL with autistic children participated in the study – one from Canada, three from Scotland, five from England, and five from the United States. Nine of the participants worked in some capacity as a forest school (FS) practitioner or trainer, one as a horticultural therapist, and the others as a classroom teacher or educational administrator. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The interviews – ranging in length from 30 to 60 minutes -- were recorded and transcribed. A neurodiversity paradigm guided the coding and analysis of the interview responses. “The neurodiversity paradigm seeks to challenge the typical view of there being one ‘right’ way for a human brain to function or for people to behave and instead emphasizes the natural variation in how brains work.” For this study, the neurodiversity paradigm allowed the researchers to “focus on the role that practitioners play in creating environments that are more or less neurodiversity affirmative.”
Three themes representing the experiences of the practitioners emerged from the data: ecology of affordances; practitioners undertake complex roles; and trust as a foundational building block. “The ecology of affordances refers to the multiple and intersecting opportunities offered by outdoor environments and the interactions that practitioners, learners, and other adults present will have with those opportunities.” Interview responses indicated that one of the benefits of NBL for some autistic children relates to the natural setting affording greater freedom and less stringent expectations than the indoor classroom. NBL seemed to help the autistic children feel safe, successful, and valued by others. Not seeing themselves – or being labeled by others – as deficient reflects a neurodiversity paradigm, where differences are considered value-adding or value-neutral characteristics. The interviewees also noted the complexity of the roles they and other adults attending the sessions (assistants, parents, etc.) played in the NBL process. Some of the challenges related to the other adults having trouble ceding control, disliking the outdoors, and not recognizing the capabilities of the students. Most of the practitioners noted the importance of trust in conducting NBL with autistic children. Trust, to them, was the foundation of their practice. They discussed how building trust with autistic learners includes “paying attention to their individual needs and interests, including sensory needs.”
This study indicates that NBL can improve the school experiences of autistic children and promote their well-being, but that NBL may not be the best fit for all autistic children. The results also highlight “the relevance of the neurodiversity paradigm to NBL and FS".
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