Safe And Fun Outdoor Play For Children With Autism

Safe and Fun Outdoor Play for Children with Autism, I am thrilled to have Danny Knight from fixitdads.com here on The Peaceful Haven!  As you know autism is a subject I am passionate about.  I was so encouraged by these wonderful ways to offer safe and fun outdoor play for children with autism.

Outdoor activities help children in their development in several areas. Physical fitness, problem-solving skills, and scientific understanding are each increased through engagement with nature. Children on the autism spectrum, however, are often kept indoors for a good deal of their education and development.

Some studies indicate that the psychological and physiological benefits of outdoor activities have an even greater impact on children who are on the autism spectrum. Researchers in one study identified seven main benefits of outdoor activity. These benefits include:

• Communication. Autism affects a child’s ability to communicate and limits the content of speech. Outdoor play encourages interaction with others. The Discovery of new things stimulates conversation. Physical games such as sports often incorporate speaking on some level. These activities help a child with autism become more comfortable in their learning environment.
• Interaction. The outdoors are refreshingly different from the classroom. Instead of sitting at a desk or other routine place of education, a grassy field or a hiking trail gets students moving, which encourages interaction. Outside, children are given new opportunities to ask about their new discoveries.
• Emotion. Many children enjoy the outdoors for the same reason adults like to take lunch in the park on a sunny day – nature is beautiful. The wonder of the outdoors can trigger creative thoughts and appreciation for natural beauty. Teachers can tap into these emotions through activities such as art, music, and dance.
• Cognition. Nature promotes observational learning. Outdoor activities often involve kinesthetic learning, the process of understanding a topic through doing. Since nature is all around us and is represented in books and television, autistic children can relate and make connections between things they previously learned and their new discoveries.
• Behavior. A common educational tool, used whether a child is on the autism spectrum or not, is rewarding good behavior with a trip outside. Outdoor learning can be a treat that encourages and rewards.
• Physical activity. Coordination and fitness are important goals for all children, including those with autism. The activity also has the added benefit of helping children burn off energy, which can benefit their behavior later in the learning day.
• Autistic sensitivity. Nature activities also have been shown to help autistic children moderate some extreme reactions to certain stimuli. Autistic children observe the world differently than those not on the spectrum, and this often results in hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. Exposure through play and activities can level these reactions.

Specific outdoor activities that are useful for autistic children include gardening, nature walks, bird watching, hide and seek games and obstacle course creation and navigation. On a nature walk, a child combined mild exercise with exploration and learning through discovery. Two ways to tap into this type of learning, either at school or at home, are through bird-watching and gardening.

Birdwatching is one of many great springtime activities, as Plexus points out in this list since participants focus on one thing – a bird – for moments of time. Traits may be discussed, matched with pictures in a book, or recorded in a journal. Although birdwatching can be done in groups, much of the activity surrounds a viewer and a pair of binoculars. This forced focus provides the sort of mental clarity that autistic children need to thrive.

Gardening similarly provides an outlet for outdoor focus. Autistic children can learn about where their food comes from, too. Some children’s autistic sensitivity extends to certain foods, and learning about the science of growing food can help increase their comfort and dietary choices. and explore the colors, textures, flavors of a garden. Gardening only requires a few tools, but good work gloves are a must.

The outdoors offers several opportunities for learning. Nature can provide a refreshing perspective for several behavioral and educational areas. Autistic children should be encouraged to step out of the classroom and into nature.

YOUR TURN…

Comment below, what are your tips for safe and fun outdoor play for children with autism?

Blessings,