TY - JOUR
T1 - 'A new adventure': A case study of autistic children at Forest School
AU - Friedman, Samantha
AU - Gibson, Jenny
AU - Jones, Catherine
AU - Hughes, Claire
N1 - Funding information:
This work was supported by the St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge
PY - 2022/8/24
Y1 - 2022/8/24
N2 - Spending time in nature has benefits for wellbeing in children, but relatively little is known about how autistic children experience nature. Framed by self-determination theory, this case study addresses this gap by exploring the experiences of 25 autistic children participating in a Forest School at their specialist school in the East of England. We used deductive reflexive thematic analysis to analyse participant observation and parent and child interview data. Our results indicated that Forest School benefited these autistic children through opportunities to play, exercise autonomy, and develop practical, motor, and social skills. However, challenges were also evident, including children absconding and conflict between peers. The success of sessions seemed contingent on adherence to routines and the influence of the adults present. Our findings supported the application of self-determination theory to Forest School to promote psychological wellbeing through autonomy, competence, and relatedness in autistic children. We discuss implications for training and practice.
AB - Spending time in nature has benefits for wellbeing in children, but relatively little is known about how autistic children experience nature. Framed by self-determination theory, this case study addresses this gap by exploring the experiences of 25 autistic children participating in a Forest School at their specialist school in the East of England. We used deductive reflexive thematic analysis to analyse participant observation and parent and child interview data. Our results indicated that Forest School benefited these autistic children through opportunities to play, exercise autonomy, and develop practical, motor, and social skills. However, challenges were also evident, including children absconding and conflict between peers. The success of sessions seemed contingent on adherence to routines and the influence of the adults present. Our findings supported the application of self-determination theory to Forest School to promote psychological wellbeing through autonomy, competence, and relatedness in autistic children. We discuss implications for training and practice.
KW - Autism
KW - Forest School
KW - nature-based learning
KW - self- determination theory
KW - reflexive thematic analysis
KW - self-determination theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136586090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14729679.2022.2115522
DO - 10.1080/14729679.2022.2115522
M3 - Article
JO - Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning
JF - Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning
SN - 1472-9679
ER -