Specialized Wilderness Camps Help Kids with ADD Get "Green Times"
(PRWeb) March 19, 2007 -- Jon Worbets has been taking children with Attention Deficit Disorder camping in the wilderness for thirteen years. Based on his experience, he believes that being outdoors "profoundly impacts these kids. They seem calmer, more focused, and more able to follow through, rather than just acting on their impulses."
Worbets is a therapist who works at the SUWS Wilderness Program in Shosone, Idaho. SUWS provides summer camps and wilderness experiences for children with special needs.
Worbets believes that experiencing the calmness and quiet of nature seems to reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder.
Now new research backs up his observations.
According to scientists at the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, all children benefit from "green time," but wilderness settings benefit ADD children in particular.
"We knew from our own studies and those of other scientists that in general, green is good. For ADHD kids however, green is great," said Professor Frances E. Kuo, co-director of the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Kuo and her cohorts concluded that the more wilderness-like the setting, the more benefits to children with ADD. For example, playing outside in a paved basketball court was not as beneficial as walking through a forest or going to the beach.
The research team kept track of over 400 children and found that after they spent time in natural settings, they were calmer and better able to concentrate, and had less trouble completing tasks and following directions. Parents reported their children slept better at night if the day included time in nature. Wilderness settings had the most dramatic effect in reducing symptoms, but just being outdoors helped.
This kind of research puts pressure on parents of children with ADHD to allow for "green time." However, that is not easy. As Worbets and other therapists can attest, children with this disorder are too distractible and impulsive to roam freely outdoors without adult supervision. Their fearlessness makes them take risks others would avoid.
For this reason, Worbets says, the ratio at SUWS of staff to children is only 1:4. Children go out into the Idaho wilderness closely supervised by trained therapists who use Applied Behavior Analysis and other techniques to ensure that the children maintain and gain more skills during the summer months. Even as these children benefit from being outdoors, they also benefit from a clear structure with rewards and consequences, strenuous exercise, good diet, and life skills training.
Worbets attributes the positive changes he sees in these children mostly to the wilderness experience itself. "Within a few weeks they are calmer. They often begin to communicate openly and clearly about what they need, demonstrate sustained focus, and learn to follow through on tasks. I am in awe of the remarkable changes that can happen so quickly."
Worbets points out that the University of Illinois researchers have shown that "having a tree outside your window can improve concentration and effectiveness. If just looking at a tree helps, imagine what a summer in the wilderness could do?"
To learn more about SUWS Youth & Adolescent Programs visit www.SUWS.com/adhd or call 888.879.7897.
###
Related Articles:
Simon Kidgit Club's Super Duper Mini Chefs Stirs Up Cooking Fun For Kids, Families at Simon Malls
Simon Property Group will offer young chefs nationwide the opportunity to express themselves through food and fun during the second annual Simon Kidgits Super Duper Mini Chefs event. Participating children will also receive free giveaways and the chance to win prizes. Families attending the event are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to local hunger relief groups.
Storage Ideas For Kids Rooms
Finding storage in your home can be a challenge by itself. But finding storage in your kids room can sometimes seem impossible! Fortunantely there are many storage choices available today to make the task possible.
The Halloween Party Your Kids Would Love
It has always been a tradition for every kid to have a scary or Halloweenish costume, during, of course, Halloween. Trick or Treat is the way of the children to go from one house to another asking for candy and other sweet delicacies, and if they are given none, then the house owners are in for a "treat".
Kids Puzzles in Schools & Daycares
Children need to get off to the right start in life and that starts with a great education While parents are obviously going to be the ones to establish the critical foundation, early teachers and daycare providers can do their part as well by offering lots of kids puzzles for educational and entertainment purposes to their young charges
Free Guide Lists Over 115 Virtual Worlds for Kids, Tweens, and Teens
The Association of Virtual Worlds has just released its new title The Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds listing over 250 virtual worlds, of over115 are worlds categorized by the world's designer as kid-friendly or designed for tweens, or teens, and is pleased to offer it free, to parents who want to know more about where their kids are going online and what they're doing when they get there.
The Cheapest Car Insurance For Teens ? Keep The Rates Down
We love them even though they are expensive ? a fact that doesn?t change once they get older. They become extra costly once they become teens. Their taste in clothing becomes more expensive. Santa no longer brings stuffed animals; he?s hauling the newest Nintendo in his bag. They need money for proms, football camps, cheerleading uniforms, and band instruments.
Fun & Healthy Snacks for Kids
Looking for a quick and healthy snack for the kids? Here are a few tasty ideas that you can surprise them with, or let them make on their own.1.
Orlando Not Just for Kids, Families; Jetsetter Lifestyle Alive and Well at Mall at Millenia This Fall, Holiday Season
There are even more reasons to visit Central Florida's most fashionable attraction during a visit to Orlando this fall and holiday season, including a $13,000 VIP shopping experience fit for a jetsetter, an abundance of upscale and moderate gift options, as well as one of the state's most elegant holiday displays.
Smart Kids: Use it or Lose it This Summer
The brain is like a muscle -- you use it or lose it. During summer vacation is your child "losing it"?Picture two different athletes.
Teach Your Kids To Invest
You might not realize it, but one of the most important lessons you can teach your kids is how to invest properly. One of the major pitfalls that many adults fall into is money problems. Teaching your children early on the benefits of investing, how to invest and the importance of personal finance can have a huge impact on their lives and careers. Here are some tips on some of the lessons you should teach your child.
When Buying Shoes For Your Kids
Buying shoes for your kids can be an excruciating task. Most kids don?t enjoy the idea of shopping for shoes since their basic concern is to buy toys. If only they would behave well just like when you are out with them to purchase toys when you are out to purchase shoes.
Piano Lessons For Adults: More Fun, Easier, & Faster Than Piano Lessons For Kids
Piano lessons for adults is generally LOTS more fun than it is for kids, primarily because the only adults that play piano are people who really want to, which is certainly not true of most kids that take piano lessons because their parents want them to.But that's not the only reason by a long shot.
Separate Kids Bedrooms
If you have a child, you have to deal with your child?s room. You may remember being yelled at as a kid to keep your room
Talking To Teens
The teen years are filled with challenges, but probably the most frustrating thing for many parents is talking to teens. Suddenly, that child that babbled like a happy brook has turned into an almost silent creature who communicates by eye rolling and sarcastic asides. While you may be tempted to just throw up your hands in frustration and wait seven or eight years to try again, talking to teens is important enough to keep trying.
The Complete Solution Of Troubled Teens
The Complete Solution Of Troubled Teens