A special education and history double-major explores the potential connections between outdoor learning environments and improved outcomes for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
CELEBRATE! Week offers an annual opportunity to highlight the academic and artistic achievements of Elon students and faculty. Each day this week, we’ll be putting the spotlight on a student scholar’s research — what they are seeking to find out, and who they became interested in their project.
Name: Samantha Friedman
Area of study: Education
Majors: Special Education and History with Teacher Licensure
Faculty mentor: Scott Morrison, assistant professor of education
Title of research: “Investigating the Effects of Outdoor Learning Environments on Students with Autism”
Abstract:
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) enter school with special education needs, which are typically addressed by a variety of traditional interventions. These interventions may include cognitive behavioral therapy, applied behavior analysis, and occupational therapy and can be costly and time-consuming.
The focus of this project is on using outdoor learning environments, an emerging and understudied enhancement to interventions for students with ASD. We interviewed 10 practitioners from three countries who work with students with ASD in outdoor learning environments. Questions focused on perceived benefits for students with autism and advice for other practitioners. The benefits fell into four categories: academic benefits, sensory benefits, behavioral benefits, and developmental benefits. Advice for teachers fell into three categories: interactions with students, planning and preparation, and risk assessment and management.
We also collected quantitative data at a local elementary school with several outdoor learning environments available on their campus. The participants included two special education teachers, who co-lead the resource room, and five students with ASD who make up the school’s social skills group.
Using a four-month long single-case research design, we investigated the social, educational, and behavioral effects of outdoor learning environments on the students with ASD. The use of outdoor learning environments was in addition to the interventions required by the students’ individualized education plans (IEPs). The data revealed that taking students with ASD into outdoor learning environments, in combination with interventions and supports required by the IEPs, increased verbal communication skills, encouraged question-asking, and decreased the likelihood of behavioral outbursts and tantrums. We discuss the implications of these findings for practitioners, parents, and students with ASD.
In other words:
Many of us can recognize that being outside has a positive impact on our attitudes or feelings. Researchers have drawn the link between spending time outside, both in formal outdoor education settings and leisurely manners, and decreased symptoms of ADD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression.
There is a lack of research investigating potential connections between being outside or receiving instruction or intervention in an outdoor learning environment and improved outcomes or increased likelihood of achieving personal goals for students with autism. Our study serves to open the discussion about the possibility of this connection existing.
Explanation of study:
Our study consisted of two parts: a qualitative interview section and a quantitative data-oriented section. In the qualitative portion of the study, we interviewed around twelve practitioners from around the world who have experience taking students with autism into outdoor learning environments. The experiences, locations, and resources of the practitioners differed to provide more variety in responses and to reflect the reality that outdoor education occurs in various spaces.
Practitioners were questioned about how outdoor learning environments affected (or did not affect) students with autism in their experience as well as advice that they would have for other practitioners who may want to try taking children with autism outside but do not know where to start.
The other portion of the study consisted of taking a group of five elementary-age students with autism outside two to three times per week during their social skills group time. We tracked the behaviors of three of the five students. The behaviors that we focused on were chosen based upon the student’s individual goals from their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Data was collected over fourth months during eighteen sessions, both inside and outside.
What made this research interesting to you? How did you get started?
I have always wanted to be a teacher, and in the years prior to starting at Elon I realized I wanted to work in special education in particular. My experiences with children with special needs mostly involved students with autism.
I was captivated by the varied capabilities and strengths of these students. During the spring semester of my first year at Elon, I had Dr. Morrison for EDU 211: School and Society. I enjoyed his innovative approaches to learning and was introduced to several methods of teaching that I was not aware of prior to the course.
One of these methods was outdoor education. During the following summer, Dr. Morrison emailed me asking if I would be interested in collaborating on a research project that combined our two interests: autism and outdoor learning. At first, we wanted to create a project about horticultural therapy, or the use of gardens as a means of therapy for individuals with autism. Eventually, we decided to broaden the scope of our investigation and look at outdoor learning environments in general.
Since working on this project, I have been able to travel to Scotland twice to receive outdoor education trainings. I am now deeply passionate about using outdoor spaces as an enhancement to other intervention and instruction methods for kids with autism and neurotypical students alike.