fbpx

Does Nature Exposure Help Your Child with ADHD?

If your child has ADHD, a walk in the park or a kayaking trip can do more than just build muscle strength or resilience. A growing body of research is showing that being in the great outdoors provides a wide variety of benefits for ADHD children.

Improved Concentration

The ability to concentrate can be a major challenge for children with ADHD. But nature can help. In one study, children with a previous diagnosis of ADHD took walks in multiple settings — a natural park setting as well as neighborhood and urban environments. The study, by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, found that children had clinically significant improvements in their concentration abilities after a walk in the natural setting. The researchers noted that “‘doses of nature’ might serve as a safe, inexpensive, widely accessible new tool in the tool kit for managing ADHD symptoms.”

Milder Symptoms

In another study, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers surveyed parents of children with ADHD from around the country, specifically in regards to their play settings. The study found that children who regularly played in outdoor settings had milder ADHD symptoms and that this was true regardless of the child’s gender or family’s income level. These researchers called for further clinical studies on the effects of greenspace for ADHD children. Francis Kuo, one of the researchers in the study, noted in an interview with ADDitude magazine that, “Those [children] who play regularly in the same green outdoor setting do have milder symptoms than those who play indoors or in playgrounds.”

Better Attention Span

A theory gaining popularity among many scientists is called Attention Restoration Therapy, or simply ART. This theory rests on the belief that exposure to nature can help improve the function of an individual’s attention. With this theory in mind, the scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who conducted the other park and outdoor play studies instructed parents to fill out assessments on the behavior of their ADHD children after play in a variety of settings. Their study found a strong relationship between improved attention and exposure to “greener” play areas.

So parents might consider after-school play dates in the park , weekend hikes and camping trips, or other creative ways to increase their child’s exposure to nature. While time spent outdoors is good for all children, studies like the ones above suggest that this could be especially beneficial for those with ADHD. It might help manage symptoms in a way that is both effective and enjoyable.

Sources:

Journal of Attention Disorder

Applied Psychology: Health and Well Being

ADDitude Magazine

Environment and Behavior

Tags:

Share:

Explore More

Articles

5 Reasons to Be Thankful for ADHD

By Elizabeth Weiss Everyone is given the opportunity to stop and consider...
Read now
Podcasts

Jen Verhagen and Realizing Your Potential

Jen Verhagen was diagnosed with ADHD five years ago when...
Listen now
Webinars

Unraveling the Puzzle: ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression Explained

Do you often feel ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression overlap, making...
Watch now

Looking to take our Mentavi Smart Assessment? That’s available all day, every day, whenever and wherever is best for you!

Live support will be unavailable during regular business hours on Thursday, November 23, and Friday, November 24. You can always submit a request or leave a voice message. We’ll get back to you when we return on Monday, November 27.

Please note: Each of our clinicians sets their own holiday hours, check with them for their schedule.

Our site is open 24/7! You can always schedule an appointment, check out our podcasts, or read up on the latest ADHD information.

The system is experiencing technical issues scheduling new appointments.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. We understand the importance of making an appointment, and this issue is our top priority.

Please reach out to us via chat or call us at 888-493-ADHD (2343) and we will assist you. If we are not available, please leave us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

The ADHD Online Team

We will perform scheduled maintenance on our Patient Portal on Thursday, September 28 from 5:00 – 6:30 AM ET. During this time, appointment scheduling will not be available.

Our team will be hard at work while many of you sleep to keep the disruption to a minimum. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The ADHD Online (early morning) Team

ADHD Online will be closed on
Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day.

Live support will be unavailable during this time, but you can always submit a request or leave a voice message at 888-493-ADHD (2343). We’ll get back to you when we return on Tuesday, September 5.

Each of our clinicians sets their own holiday hours. Check with your doctor for availability.

Looking to take our Assessment? That’s available all day, every day, whenever and wherever is best for you! 

Provide this form to your local practitioner. You could:

  • Send this link
  • Email the pdf
  • Print it out and bring it to your appointment

Ask your practitioner
to complete the form

In this form, your practitioner will request that ADHD Online continue to provide uninterrupted care

Return the form to us

You or your practitioner can return this form to us via email or fax it to 616-210-3118

Looking to take our Assessment? That’s available all day, every day, whenever and wherever is best for you!

For those seeking an Assessment, you can dive right in! Our portal is up throughout the holiday!

If you have a question for us, our office will be providing holiday patient support on July 3 & 4, and we are committed to responding to your needs as promptly as possible. In-person phone support may be available but limited due to holiday hours.  You can always submit a request or leave a voice message and we will prioritize addressing them upon our return. We genuinely appreciate your understanding. Full office operations will resume on Wednesday, July 5.

If you already are on our Treatment path, be aware that each of our clinicians sets their own holiday hours. Check with your doctor for availability.

ADHD Online will be closed on June 19th in observance of Juneteenth.

Live support will be unavailable while we’re closed but you can always submit a request or leave a voice message. We’ll get back to you when we return on Tuesday, June 20th.

Each of our clinicians sets their own holiday hours. Check with your doctor for availability.

Looking to take our Assessment? That’s available all day, every day, whenever and wherever is best for you!

ADHD Online will be closed on June 19th in observance of Juneteenth.

Live support will be unavailable while we’re closed but you can always submit a request or leave a voice message. We’ll get back to you when we return on Tuesday, June 20th.

Each of our clinicians sets their own holiday hours. Check with your doctor for availability.

Looking to take our Assessment? That’s available all day, every day, whenever and wherever is best for you!