The outdoors and ADHD

By Lyn Everard



Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that is believed to affect one in 20 children worldwide, according to an article published in World Psychiatry. The CDC, states that symptoms in children can include difficulty following direction, becoming easily distracted and an inability to sit still for short periods of time and organize routine tasks. Adults exhibit symptoms such as depression, anxiety, procrastination, impulsiveness and problems in relationships.  





ADHD is a chronic condition. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that approximately one-third of children diagnosed with ADHD exhibit continued impairment as adults.  

In a case study performed at a New York City school, the patient, Sarah (name changed) exhibited lack of focus, hyperactive behavior and difficulty completing tasks.  A lesson plan modification was created to focus on both lessening her behavioral challenges and developing her strengths. With the modification, Sarah was able to complete the class assignment, showing she is quite capable of completing her class work.  Her lack of focus and behavioral problems continued to result in below average achievement in the classroom and may have been a result of a number of learning disabilities; including ADHD.      

According to the CDC, traditional treatments for ADHD include behavioral modification techniques along with prescribed medications for mood and anxiety.  



Photo courtesy of www.Sweetspearls.com

These medications prove to have dramatic effects on a child’s mood, so much so that parents claim that their child “...isn’t the same.”  Leslie, parent of another child at the same New York City school, felt that her child’s personality “got lost” or that she became frustrated instead of hyperactive while taking the medication.

Mother and Saint Paul, MN resident, Brittany Parker said the medication Ritalin altered her brother’s personality and left him shaky.  “My mom didn't like him having it,” Brittany said, “so she only gave it to him when he had to get math done. You could tell at a glance that he was on it.”

John Dupre, a Newport, RI resident and veteran who was diagnosed with adult ADHD agrees that, although medications do help, they aren’t ideal. “ADHD makes me feel like my mind is weak. I'm constantly struggling to stay focused on anything and everything. And then I take Adderall....and I feel like my eyes are a laser... my brain is holding the laser, and the world is my playground.  I'm not high, I'm zoned in.” After John's diagnosis, he has discovered that being outdoors significantly improves the symptoms of ADHD, leaving less need for medication. “I'm constantly trying to do without the drug that inherently helps me. I've been successful without it, but I'm a ninja with it.... there's my quagmire which I've yet to answer.”

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Parents who are emphatically opposed to treating ADHD with medications have adopted the challenge of supporting their children through consistent methods of behavioral treatment techniques, strict organic and glucose free diets, and/or frequent access to outdoors activities.  These have all been found essential in the treatment of ADHD according to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.  These treatments can allow the brain to focus and relax.  

An article published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch states that consistent physical activities such as jumping, running, playing sports,and hiking pumps oxygen to the brain and trains the brain to become less stressed and more relaxed.  Being in nature allows the individual with ADHD to take in fresh air, peaking the curiosity of an impulsive and overthinking mind. Furthermore, exploring and engaging with nature stimulates thought and expression.

Sue Atkins, the author of Raising Happy Children for Dummies, says, “Increasing research demonstrates the benefits nature and playing outdoors has on the developing brain. For example, studies reveal that children regularly exposed to green spaces for play have better motor coordination, fewer attention-deficit disorders and have more ability to concentrate.”

Not only could fostering this outdoor, active lifestyle from a young age treat ADHD, but it can also retrain the brain and correct and reverse the hyperactivity impairments into adulthood.   With psycho-social interventions such as educational structure and routine, as well as cognitive and behavioral techniques, the management and possible cure of ADHD can be successful.

 

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