Sandplay therapy helps the person develop social skills and acts as a therapy method where they can reflect and repair their inner world. This study aims to test the feasibility of sandplay therapy method in an open area for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and investigate its effect on the development of social skills. In addition,…

'The Children's Sensorium -- art, play and mindfulness for post-pandemic recovery' was an exhibition that brought together sensory-based art installations featuring First Nations Connection to Country with mindfulness and embodiment strategies to enhance well-being for children (ages 4-11). As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly moves from the centre of…

In our conversations about sexuality, Kathleen Quinlivan and I mused over how a subject as potentially vibrant and life-enhancing as sexuality education could so often be taught in uninspiring and disembodied ways. Students' existing critique of much sexuality education is that it is typically disease and danger focused, marginalises the sensuous…

In recent years, Forest Education has gained increasing traction around the world. Yet its unique features, as well as their relations with other outdoor environmental education approaches, remain undertheorized. This study explores the pedagogical practices of one emerging strand of Forest Education, and the epistemology underpinning it, in order…

This study conveys how young adults reflect upon their childhood experiences and memories of outdoor play, friluftsliv and outdoor places. Inspired by a phenomenological approach, we conducted walking interviews in nature areas where they used to play as children, revisiting the same informants and places as in a research project 14 years earlier.…

Multi-sensory environments are widely used with autistic children. However, there are no data on how autistic children choose to spend time in the room and how this relates to their sensory, behavioural and intellectual profiles. We observed the frequency and duration of visits to multi-sensory environment equipment of 41 autistic children during…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have sensory processing difficulties, which impact their participation in daily occupations. This pilot study investigated a newly developed "Ready to Learn and Play" sensory regulation framework for addressing sensory regulation challenges for individuals with ASD in a school…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack symbolic play skills. Attribution of pretend properties (APP) is a type of symbolic play in which a child tacts pretend properties of an object (e.g., smelling a toy flower and saying, "It smells like a rose!"). Three Chinese boys (5-6 years of age) with ASD served as participants.…

Congenital heart disease (CHD), the result of structural changes to the heart present at birth, is the most common congenital birth condition. As survival rates for infants with complex CHD have increased in recent years, risk for neurodevelopmental challenges has also increased. Early referral to developmentally supportive care is recommended as…

A contemporary concern about children's loss of contact with the natural world accompanies an ongoing urbanization and their reduced independent mobility. Children are becoming increasingly reliant on adults in accessing outdoor play and this is giving rise to more such experiences being shared. This research has explored the contemporary…

In this article, we explore the implementation of a time-based intervention in a garden-based science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics curriculum with a 3rd-grade science class that flipped the overdetermined functions of time and overdependence on predetermined learning outcomes to cultivate a disposition of sensitivity to the…

Children with disabilities, such as those with sensory processing differences or motor impairments, often have limited opportunities for community participation. Moreover, the degree to which caregivers perceive community spaces to be accessible and appropriate for their children can be a determining influence. This study evaluated caregiver…