Children with sensory processing difficulties often have trouble participating in daily activities, which can impact the depth of engagement in play and their ability to learn during childhood occupations. The goal of this capstone project was to develop a nature-based program for such children focused on an enriched natural environment and sensory-immersive activities. The rationale is based on recent evidence indicating that connection to nature has the potential to mediate patterns and responses to sensory dysregulation, attention, and learning. This pilot program was implemented with participants over the course of four sessions at a nature preserve in rural Pennsylvania. The activities implemented were sensory-immersive, socially oriented and child-focused. Outcomes measured via pre- and post-interviews included the child’ emotional/behavioral states and their willingness to participate in indoor and outdoor sensory-rich activities. The results were positive regarding the child’s post-program emotional/behavioral states as measured through a parent satisfaction survey. There was no change regarding the child’s willingness to participate in sensory-rich activities in indoor environments. The results of this study indicate that the natural environment has a unique ability to mediate sensory processing skills in outdoor environments. This effect may translate to positive influence on learning and well-being due to the correlation between one’s connection to nature and their attentional capacity and sensory regulation abilities. Results did not demonstrate generalization of sensory processing skills to indoor or contrived contexts. This program informs current OT practice by providing practitioners with effective, novel, and low-tech intervention options for the neurodiverse pediatric population.
