Outdoor activities have a remarkable way of transforming the lives and minds of autistic people. This article shows how nature adventures can boost wellbeing and physical health, improving not just social skills but also emotional states. In short, outdoor activities are a tremendous gateway to learning and flourishing.

 Introduction to Autism and Outdoor Activities and Adventure

Excursions outside offer limitless opportunities to all of us, especially people on the autism spectrum. The feel of the great outdoors – the big wide open spaces, the fresh air, and the plethora of activities and adventures – present a canvas on which one can learn, explore, and grow. For people on the spectrum, the benefits of outdoor activity are significant. Benefits from increased physical health to social learning to a deeper connection with the natural world offer therapies absent in the sedentary confines of daily routine. Exploring the outdoors is not just about physical activity. It’s about enrichment for the soul, improving mental health and enhancing our sensory experience, which is often deprived from our indoor world. With thoughtful training plans and coaching, people on the spectrum can safely explore all the potential and benefits of outdoor activity, all while in the comfort of their own space and at their own pace.

The Benefits of Nature on Autism

Nature is the healing force, and one that can act more in line with its natural strength in a person with autism. The calmness of a natural setting, the rhythms of the natural world, and the sensory stimulation of the outdoors – whether it’s the satisfying silence of a walk in the woods, the challenge of an uphill hike, or the splashing enjoyment of wading in a stream – are all activities that can help to calm symptoms of stress and anxiety. Walking, hiking, splashing, skiing, swimming in the waves, playing ball with your dog – all these activities have a positive impact on the mind and body, offering exercise, grounding in the moment, and a clearing of the mind and soul. Research shows that people with autism can benefit from more time in green spaces in their own backyards, parks and preserves, and places set apart for respite from the daily nature of urban living. The results of spending time in these places include improving attention, reducing behaviors related to stress, and increasing mood and affect. For the person with autism, simple activities such as going for a walk in the park, taking a hike, or throwing pebbles into a stream can go a long way towards helping them to feel better, grounding them in the moment, calming them down, and lowering their anxiety.

Planning Safe and Enjoyable Outdoor Adventures for Individuals with Autism

For any particularly outdoor-oriented individual who is on the spectrum, it takes some thought to create a safe and enjoyable experience. Regarding activities, it’s important to integrate an activity you believe the individual will enjoy, one that they can do well, and one that is sensitive to their sensory needs. Before going on any kind of adventure, it is helpful to make sure the individual knows what to expect, which can be quite positive and helpful in alleviating anxiety and building excitement. This can be done by showing someone a visual of what to expect, discussing a plan in detail, or if possible, actually going to the place in advance of the outing. Finally, it is important to develop a plan that allows for flexibility. This means having a basic plan or structure, which might yet change due to the individual’s response to the environment or the mood the individual is in on the day. From a safety standpoint, this means an actual, well-thought-out plan.

Autism-Friendly Outdoor Activities: Ideas and Inspiration

The important thing here is to discover those outdoor activities that the autistic person will enjoy and that might also be useful therapeutically. Here are some autism-friendly outdoor activities. 

• Nature walks and hiking: Simple, structured nature walks work because the cadence and repetition of walking, as well as the sensory engagement with the natural environment, can yield comfort through predictable stimuli. It helps to choose quieter, less populated trails to minimize distracting or overwhelming stimuli.

• Gardening: The haptic play in gardening joins responsibility and achievement. Planting seeds, watering plants, stroking soil. Very grounding for an autistic mind.

• Bird Watching: You become more focused and patient, you form the habit of listening intently, learn a lot about a whole new world of species, their habitats and behavior, and the binoculars add their own element of excitement.

• Water Activities: Paddling, swimming or any type of waterplay are great for sensory seekers because the buoyancy and resistance of water are unique sensory experiences that many people with autism find soothing and fun.

Including such activities in the daily agenda of an autistic individual can enhance their natural connection, improve sensory processing, and provide a pleasurable respite from the stresses of daily life.

Overcoming Challenges: Strategies for Successful Outdoor Experiences with Autism

While there are distinctive challenges to outdoor activities with autism, they can usually be minimized, if not reversed, by deploying effective strategies. There is a lot of preparation to do: pictures, videos or storyboards should be shown of the activity in advance of the event, so that the individual knows what to expect. Then:

• Bring sensory kit: noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, chewy tubes and toys can help regulate sensory input in the absence of familiar cues, which can be a great aid in coping with new environments.

• Be Open to Flexibility: There is something to be said for planning ahead but trying to keep too rigid a schedule can cause considerable stress to others and means that you might not get the most out of your day, as you will always be concerned with timings. Bear in mind that, as much as you might want a smooth day, the individual you are visiting or caring for could have very different ideas! Be relaxed, and follow the person’s lead as the day unfolds.

• Make the outdoor activity a safe, contained experience. This can include the surrounding ( purpose-built structures) as well as a designated physical area (on a beach, in a specially created area).  Incorporating these simple adjustments into your outdoor plan can reduce the barriers associated with many traditional outings.

If challenges are anticipated in advance, planning can make outdoor experiences as exciting for people with autism as any other adventure: an opportunity to discover more about the world and ourselves.

The Role of Sensory Play in Outdoor Settings for Autism

Sensory play is particularly important for autism development, and the outdoors provides a natural sensory playground. You can’t beat the amount of variety you have in nature for stimulating all five senses compared with what is available indoors. Playing in the sand, walking barefoot on grass, listening to a stream – these are just a few of the activities that can dramatically improve sensory integration skills. A sensory-based play regimen outdoors can:

• Build gross motor skills (such as climbing and jumping) and coordination.

• Encourage cognitive development: Having the opportunity to explore nature can cultivate both curiosity and learning, such as identifying plants or animals, or even grasping concepts about ecosystems.

• Promote Emotional Regulation: The calming effects of nature can help individuals to calm down and regulate their emotions when they’re overloaded by the sensory aspects of their environment.

Introducing sensory play into outdoor activities not only enhances the therapeutic merits of nature but also makes the experience more enjoyable and interesting for children with autism.

Building Social Skills Through Group Outdoor Activities for Autism

Participation in outdoor pursuits can provide opportunities for people on the autism spectrum to practice and hone social skills in a nurturing outdoor environment. Group activities, such as team sports, hiking groups and nature study clubs, may allow for:

• Practicing Communication: a group setting allows each individual to swap experiences, verbalize needs, and ask questions, potentially bolstering verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

• Work as a Team: Working toward a common goal, such as finishing a hike or making a sandcastle, teaches cooperation – often with a peer with whom they don’t normally play.

• Increase Social Awareness: Participants learn social skills such as sharing and turn taking through collaboration with their peers.

Such experiences are not only fun and create a genuine sense of belonging but also result in the learning of vital life skills that transfer across social contexts.

Physical Health and Fitness: Tailoring Outdoor Exercises for Autism

It is widely-acknowledged the importance of physical health and fitness for everyone, and people with ASD should not be excluded from this. Adapting everyday outdoor exercises to help someone with ASD achieve a healthy balanced lifestyle can be done in an interesting and enjoyable way. The simple activity of walking, jogging, cycling or yoga can be adapted to suit many people’s preferences and abilities and can have both physical benefits and the virtues of spending time outdoors. Structured physical activities can help to improve:

• Cardiovascular Health: Regular outdoor exercise boosts heart health and increases stamina.

• Muscle Strength and Flexibility – Practices that require the use of different muscle groups can improve overall physical vigor and flexibility.

• Motor Skills: performing activities of different physical types improves both of these skills.

Regular outdoor exercise among autistic people does not only benefit their general physical condition but is also conducive to their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Encouraging Independence in Outdoor Settings for Individuals with Autism

Perhaps the greatest benefit to outdoor activity for individuals with autism is the avenue to find a new sense of independence. Showing a person how to use a trail map, helping them make decisions about which of a hundred plants to water in the garden, and letting them direct the order of activities in the park area all start to build independence and self-confidence. Examples of strategies to encourage independence include:

• Let Them Choose: Allowing people with autism to choose activities that they can engage with can lead to a sense of control and decision making.

• Goal-setting to success: Helping them set and accomplish small, attainable goals during their outdoor activities can improve their self-esteem and motivation.

• More Supportive Than Controlling: Providing support, guidance and direction yet also creating space and allowing room for exploration and self-discovery builds independence in a safe and structured way.

Conclusion: Embracing the Great Outdoors with Autism

The outdoors has much to offer in the form of recreation, education and sport, creating opportunities to increase independence and have a fulfilling life. Outdoor recreation can promote self-discovery as participants push their physical and psychological limits, foster a deeper appreciation for nature and provide the opportunity to improve life skills. Adaptive Fitness provides training plans and coaching to help individuals with autism adapt their performance safely and enjoyably in outdoor recreation.

‍

Adaptive Challenges. Adaptive Opportunities. Whether it’s autism, or another adaptive challenge and need, Adaptive Fitness —brilliant, hands-on, and uniquely gifted in customizing programmes and activities—is the fitness, wellness and adventure ‘platform’ that is designed specifically for those individuals with adaptive challenges and needs. Just being here is a big deal, having an impact. In this meticulously designed space, you can sense that you haven’t been shrunken down into a stereotypical ‘autism box’… A major emphasis of our training and coaching is to be physically active with as many adaptive opportunities as we can safely and comfortably offer, which allows the individual to focus on doing things they could/should do, right or wrong, slowly or rapidly, and with assistance or independently. The ‘point’ of the activity is to: 1. Gain independence; 2. Gain confidence and competence; and 3. Get healthier. It is compassionate therapy in a fun and rich outdoor setting that just happens to be focused on our therapeutic aims of autism-specific physical, perceptual, cognitive, and social development.The shift from ‘what the individual can’t do’ (traditional deficit-based therapy) to ‘what the individual can do’ (parsed and celebrated as fitness, wellness and adventure) acknowledges an incredible array of blessings that we too often take for granted.It’s a modest service: supporting individuals and families to experience the adventure and therapeutic goodness of being outside. Whatever the diagnosis or difficulty, at Adaptive Fitness we will support you on your journey. We can help transform ‘impossible’ into ‘possible’.