The Nature-Deficit Disorder

Reading:     Excerpt from: The Last Child in the Woods    

    

                         Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment by Richard Louv

"But television is only part of the larger environmental/cultural change in our lifetime; namely, that rapid move from a rural to a highly urbanized culture" (Louv, 2005, p. 4).

Behind the glass. Photo by D. Martinez

Who would have thought that a recurring and highly common diagnoses such as ADHD can be helped by nature alone? I was certainly taken aback when I had read this excerpt by Louv. His words made complete sense, and I was honestly surprised I hadn't considered it before. With the author's elaborate descriptions and explanations to the various studies that support his point had me fully immersed in the reading. In the last post , the second quote I had listed seems to resound with Louv's words, and ultimately supports the use of nature for restoring the mental health of kids. Kids in this day and age have been unfortunately deprived of many critical activities that were once the norm. Instead of playing ball outside with some friends, children now find themselves in their rooms playing either with their phones, playing video games, or watching T.V. It is a harsh reality that I so deeply wish could be reversed to the olden days. As Louv goes on to explain, "...as recently as the 1950s, most families still had some kind of agricultural connection. Many of these children as well as boys, would have been directing their energy and physicality in constructive ways: doing farm chores, baling hay, splashing in the swimming hole, climbing tress, racing to the sandlot for a game of baseball. Their unregemented play would have been steeped in nature" (Louv, 2005, p.4). Instead, we are seeing that society is no longer supporting kids in exploring the outside world and being in direct contact with nature.

  A perfect example of this is seen by the extinction of p.e. classes. I recall during my elementary, middle, and even a few high school years, how vital recess/p.e. was for every student. Taking this class was even mandatory in the first two years of highschool- much to everyone's disdain. I can admit I never really looked forward to it during high school but it's now after many years that I've come to acknowledge and appreciate the class. It's funny, but one of my fondest memories of my elementary school years was playing four-square with my classmates and participating in field days. It's things like these that made me realize how wonderful being actively involved with the outside world truly is. Contrarily, it also makes me feel saddened that children today are deprived of this simple happiness. "In the era of test-centric education reform and growing fear of liability, many districts considered recess a waste of potential academic time or too risky" (Louv, 2005, p. 1). And so, now tying this aspect into the excerpt stating the reaping benefits the simple contact with nature can have on children diagnosed with ADHD, allows me to have a closer glimpse at what Louv is getting at. The reason as to why ADHD has become the forefront of diagnoses in the present day has become clearer, as well.

"If it's true that nature therapy reduces the symptoms of ADHD, then the converse may also be true: ADHD may be a set of symptoms aggravated by lack of exposure to nature" (Louv, 2005, p. 11).

A childhood friend handing me a flower. Photo by R. Gomez

  The idea of nature as a means of eliminating symptoms of ADHD without the use of medication and side effects pleases me tremendously. Being a psychology student (and soon to be graduate), I couldn't help but smile at the idea of one day perhaps incorporating this into my practice as a child psychologist. I've always believed that the main focus should remain on children, particularly when it came to mental issues, or in this case, disorders. As children we have a higher and best possibility for change for the better in our coming years as a teenager and adult. Once that healthy mentality is established at a young age I believe anything is possible. They are our future, and if nature can be our second helping hand- especially to us upcoming psychologists- a centered focus should be cast on "the restorative environment", and the peaceful incantation placed on anyone surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Source: Louv, R. (2005). Excerpt from Last Child in the Woods. In University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future. Acton, MA. XanEdu Publishing