Reflection on Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment

 The article states that ADHD, which we considered as a disorder, could be very useful in an agricultural society --- boys and girls usually prized for their strength, speed, and agility. In a highly urbanized culture, these advantage become disadvantage. Children have ADHD always be considered as trouble makers, hyperactivity or impulsivity.  But this article also states lots of facts and researches that nature is very important for children’s development, especially for those who have ADHD. Children who play outside every day, regardless of weather, had better motor coordination and more ability to concentrate. That also works for troubled teenage suspects too. Ybarra, a defense attorney, took them to Ketchikan, Alaska and spent two weeks there. Those teenagers were changed after spent two weeks in nature. Many of them had never been in a nature environment like that before.

 I think his theories that children tend to have less ability to concentrate in an urban environment are true. As the article said, most of mankind’s history is exploration and settlement, hunting and gathering. The environment today changed to a highly urbanized culture, but our brain still stays in its old way. It makes sense that attention capacities or ability to concentrate would increase by staying in a green environment.

However, I do not think the author’s suggestions would work. In this competitive world nowadays, the purpose of education is not to build a rounded individual, but to select the suitable children for higher education due to limited resources. Take the FCAT as an example. Many teachers in Florida teach FCAT materials only. The teachers are under great pressure. They have to do this because they are being evaluated by the score of their students. It would be better for the children to review the FCAT materials instead of playing in outside in a green area. For many schools and parents, a well-rounded happy child does not mean much without a good testing score.