Nature Defecit Disorder: How it helps

     In society today, more children are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. These children have a hard time "concentrating in school, restless, hard time focusing on tasks, may be aggressive, antisocial, and suffer academic failure"(Louv, p.3). To help these kids, they are usually prescribed medications like Ritalin or Dexedrine, but most parents do not want to put their child on medication. A lot of parents have, and some see a decrease in their ADHD or ADD behaviors, while some do not see any change while on these drugs.

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     Louv describes a movement, where children suffering from these diagnoses are excelling when they interact with nature. "Even without corroborating evidence or institutional help, many parents notice significant changes in their children's stress levels and hyperactivity when they spend time outside"(Louv, p.4).By being in nature, their brain is being stimulated in a positive way, and they are able to expel their energy. By being at parks or playing at recess, children are able to come back home with less energy, and are able to concentrate and sit still. But, with schools becoming more institutionalized, they cut out the time set aside for recess or Physical Education. We have to use all that time for learning math and science, not playing outside. In schools, they could create a sustainable garden that students can take care of during their time outdoors, or play like regular children.

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     By interacting in nature, these children are forever changed. Some had never been outside of the suburbs of their cities, but they fell in love with the outdoors. Louv describes a group of teenagers on probation, that were taken on a trip to Ketchikan, Alaska. These juveniles lived on an island in the Alaskan wilderness, and were exposed to all types of wildlife and different aspects of nature. Some had never seen a bear, and when they saw one they were not afraid. "I never saw a bear before. I'm scared of bears, but when I saw them, I had no stress. I was calm, free."(Louv, p.13) They also had to find their own food by scouting out the woods, or fishing of the shores. When they had to leave, mostly everyone did not want to. They wanted to stay with the tribe in the wilderness instead of going back to their homes and friends.

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     Children need to be exposed to nature and be able to go outside and play, to create a bond with the world. If they do not, they will not want to protect the world and all the different types of ecosystems out there. Children with hyperactivity and focusing issues, need to release energy throughout the school day so they can learn and not distract their other classmates. By disrupting their classmates, they might be punished and eventually end up with a criminal records, as they were never able to control their sudden outbursts. Even if a child can go outside and play at a local park, that is better than nothing.

Works Cited

Louv, R. (2011). Excerpt from Last Child in the Woods: Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment. In Universtiy Colloquium: A Sustanible Future (pp.1-14). Acton, MA: XanEdu Publishing