The Japanese call it “Nature Bathing” and they encourage people to get at least two hours a week of time out in the great outdoors. It has been proven to be good for one’s mental health, sleep, stress, creativity, and overall fitness. Hiking, and being under a natural canopy of living, breathing, life is just good for the soul. Also known as ecotherapy or green therapy, nature therapy involves using natural environments to support emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being. For children with autism, nature therapy offers a variety of additional benefits that can enhance their quality of life. 

Here are ten ways nature therapy can help children with autism in Toronto.

1. Reduces Sensory Overload

One thing about a forest is that it offers plenty of shade. It’s always naturally cooler under the canopy, and if you get too chilly, there are patches of sun to step into. The trees offer a natural muting effect to the din and noise that you normally hear in a city. All in all, it’s the perfect environment for those with sensory sensitivities. Children with autism often experience sensory processing challenges. This is why nature therapy can be a soothing experience for them. Natural environments provide a calming and less overwhelming alternative to artificial indoor settings. The gentle sounds of birds, rustling leaves, and flowing water can help reduce stress and prevent sensory overload.

2. Enhances Social Skills

It’s not uncommon for children with autism to speak at length about topics that are interesting to them. If they develop a passion for nature bathing, they will quickly find a likeminded group to share their enthusiasm with. It’s not just hiking and forest bathing. There are other activities they can do outside as well that have similar benefits. For children with neurodivergence, spending time outdoors in structured group activities, such as trailrunning, gardening, or nature-based play, is a good way to encourage social interactions. Engaging in cooperative tasks like planting trees or building forts allows your child to develop communication and teamwork skills in a low-pressure setting.

3. Encourages Physical Activity

Motion is lotion. Just getting out and doing a physical activity of any kind is good for your child’s body and mind. Many children with autism struggle with motor coordination. Being in nature will get your heart pumping, even if it’s in a gradual way. It’s not extreme exercise, but nature therapy offers a variety of physical activities such as walking on uneven terrain, climbing, and jumping over the odd thistle patch or creek. This overall movement can improve gross motor skills, coordination, and overall physical health.

4. Boosts Emotional Regulation

If your child is going through something that’s emotionally heavy, sometimes the answer isn’t to bottle it up, or even talk it through, but just let nature take its course and get some deep breaths of fresh air out in the forest. Nature has a naturally calming effect. It can help your child with autism manage their emotions more effectively. Engaging in outdoor activities can reduce anxiety and frustration, promoting emotional stability and resilience.

5. Supports Focus And Attention

Does your child seem to jump from one activity to the next without finishing the first one completely? Does their mind wander from the task at hand to the closest distraction? Studies have shown that a little time in nature can go a long way towards improving their focus. Children with autism often have difficulty concentrating on tasks. Studies show that time spent in nature can enhance attention spans, making it easier for them to engage in learning and other activities. A natural setting provides fewer distractions compared to noisy, crowded indoor environments.

6. Promotes Sensory Exploration

Being in the wild is all about exploration. Encourage your child to take a deep breath and smell the clean air, to listen to the sounds of the birds and frogs, and to look at the amazing shapes when light shines through the trees. Outdoor environments offer a rich sensory experience for a child with autism. Encourage them to feel different textures like the grass, running water, or moss, or to smell the wild flowers or taste the sweet honeysuckles. Controlled sensory exploration in nature can help children with autism become more comfortable with new sensations, improving their sensory processing skills.

7. Encourages Independence And Confidence

Often there’s only one trail, so it’s safe to let your child wander a little on their own. Foster independence in your child with autism by giving them some autonomy and letting them make their own choices about where to go and what to explore. You can give them some open-ended activities, like completing nature-based tasks, such as hiking a trail or identifying ten different plants. When they do this on their own, it can boost their self-confidence and sense of accomplishment.

8. Improves Sleep Patterns

Does your child have trouble sleeping at night? Do they spend too much time in front of a screen during the day? Nature bathing is a great way to remedy both of these problems. It’s not uncommon for children with autism to experience sleep disturbances. The blue light from screens before bed doesn’t help. A better solution is to expose them to natural light during the day, ideally in the outdoors. This helps to regulate their body’s internal clock, leading to better sleep patterns. Overall, it has been proven that physical activity in natural settings also contributes to healthier sleep cycles.

9. Provides A Safe And Non-Judgmental Environment

If your child is a bit of a shrinking violet in public, they may need an outlet to be themselves in a place without so many people around. Nature offers a welcoming and non-judgmental space where children with autism can express themselves freely. There can be strict social expectations in structured indoor environments, so outdoor spaces allow for your child to feel free with the room for unstructured play and self-expression.

10. Enhances Learning Through Hands-On Experience

Is your child a visual learner? Or do they take in new information best by actually doing something firsthand? This is called experiential learning and it is an excellent way to create profound, lasting knowledge about a subject. Being in nature provides plenty of opportunities for experiential learning, which can be particularly beneficial for children with autism. Engaging in activities like identifying plants and trees, observing wildlife, or studying rock formations fosters curiosity and enhances cognitive development.

It’s good for us to get out in the great outdoors. Breathing in fresh air is excellent for our lungs, the movement is fantastic for our heart, and to be among natural beauty in the woods is perfect for our mind. Nature therapy is a powerful tool. When it comes to children with autism these benefits are compounded because it helps with gross motor skill development, cognitive development, sleep, plus a myriad of other ways. By incorporating outdoor activities into their routine, caregivers and educators can help children with autism experience reduced stress, enhanced social skills, and improved overall well-being. At Monarch House we have a professional, interdisciplinary staff of occupational therapists, behavioural therapists, psychotherapists, and speech pathologists that are here to help. We can work with you on planning excursions, and by preparing for the event. We believe that encouraging exploration and connection with nature can only lead to lasting positive effects. It’s a wonderful (and free) way to support the particular developmental needs of children with autism in Toronto.