Publication Cover
Local Environment
The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability
Volume 16, 2011 - Issue 10: Urban Green Space
907
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Who's afraid of the big bad woods? Fear and learning disabled children's access to local nature

Pages 1021-1040 | Received 23 Dec 2010, Accepted 25 Oct 2011, Published online: 21 Nov 2011

References

  • Ahmed , S. 2004 . The cultural politics of emotion , Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press .
  • Aitken , S. 1994 . Putting children in their place , Washington, DC : Association of American Geographers .
  • van Andel , J. 1990 . Places children like, dislike, and fear . Children's Environments Quarterly , 7 ( 4 ) : 24 – 31 .
  • Balmford , A. 2002 . Why conservationists should heed Pokemon . Science , 295 ( 5564 ) : 2367
  • Barton , J. and Pretty , J. 2010 . What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis . Environmental Science and Technology , 44 ( 10 ) : 3947 – 3955 .
  • BBC News, 2009. Families miss free school meals [online]. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8226583.stm [Accessed 14 December 2010].
  • BBC Press Office, 2008. BBC Worldwide press releases – “environment at risk if children don't play ‘Wild’” [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/07_july/bbcwildlife_wild_survey.shtml [Accessed 11 December 2010].
  • Beck , U. 1992 . Risk society: towards a new modernity , London : Sage .
  • Bell , S. 2007 . Accessibility and disability: making woods more accessible Edinburgh: OPENspace report for the Forestry Commission
  • Bell , S. 2003 . Contested views of freedom and control: children, teenagers and urban fringe woodlands in Central Scotland . Urban Forestry and Urban Greening , 2 ( 2 ) : 87 – 100 .
  • Berman , M. , Jonides , J. and Kaplan , S. 2008 . The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature . Psychological Science , 19 ( 12 ) : 1207 – 1212 .
  • BILD, 2004. Factsheet – what is a learning disability? [online]. Available from: http://www.bild.org.uk/pdfs/05faqs/ld.pdf [Accessed 14 December 2010].
  • Bodin , M. and Hartig , T. 2003 . Does the outdoor environment matter for psychological restoration gained through running? . Psychology of Sport and Exercise , 4 ( 2 ) : 141 – 153 .
  • Boholm , A. 2001 . The cultural nature of risk: can there be an anthropology of uncertainty? . Ethnos , 68 ( 2 ) : 159 – 178 .
  • Boldemann , C. 2006 . Impact of preschool environment upon children's physical activity and sun exposure . Preventive Medicine , 42 ( 4 ) : 301 – 308 .
  • Brownlie , J. 2001 . The “being-risky” child: governing childhood and sexual risk . Sociology , 35 ( 2 ) : 519 – 537 .
  • Burgess , J. 1996 . Focusing on fear: the use of focus groups in a project for the community forest unit, countryside commission . Area , 28 ( 2 ) : 130 – 135 .
  • Burns , R. C. and Graefe , A. R. 2007 . Constraints to outdoor recreation: exploring the effects of disabilities on perceptions and participation . Journal of Leisure Research , 39 ( 1 ) : 156 – 181 .
  • Burns, N., Paterson, K., and Watson, N., 2008. Exploring disabled people's perceptions and use of forest recreation goods, facilities and services in Scotland, England and Wales [online]. Available from: http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/pdf/SCDR_2008_Disabled_perceptions_and_woodland.pdf/$FILE/SCDR_2008_Disabled_perceptions_and_woodland.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2011].
  • Cuvo , A. J. , May , M. E. and Post , T. M. 2001 . Effects of living room, Snoezelen room, and outdoor activities on stereotypic behaviour and engagement by adults with profound mental retardation . Research in Development Disability , 22 : 183 – 204 .
  • DfES, 2006. Learning outside the classroom manifesto [online]. Available from: http://www.lotc.org.uk/getmedia/fe5e8f73-a53c-4310–84af-c5e8c3b32435/Manifesto.aspx [Accessed 21 December 2010].
  • Diette, G.B., et al., 2003. Distraction therapy with nature sights and sounds reduces pain during flexible Bronchoscopy. Chest, 123, 941–948.
  • Dyment , J. , Bell , A. and Lucas , A. 2009 . The relationship between school ground design and intensity of physical activity . Children's Geographies , 7 ( 3 ) : 261 – 276 .
  • England Marketing, 2009. Report to Natural England on childhood and nature: a survey on changing relationships with nature across generations [online]. Available from: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/Childhood%20and%20Nature%20Survey_tcm6-10515.pdf [Accessed 9 November 2011].
  • English Nature, 1996. A space for nature [online]. Available from: http://naturalengland.etraderstores.com/NaturalEnglandShop/publications/leisure-countryside%20recreation [Accessed 21 December 2010].
  • English Nature, 2006. The conservation therapy programme: helping people, helping nature [online]. Available from: http://naturalengland.etraderstores.com/NaturalEnglandShop/publications/leisure-countryside%20recreation [Accessed 21 December 2010].
  • Ernst, J. and Monroe, M., 2004. The effects of environment-based education on students' critical thinking skills and disposition towards critical thinking. Environmental Education Research, 10 (4), 507–522.
  • Ewert, A., 1988. Reduction of trait anxiety through participation in Outward Bound. Leisure Sciences, 10 (2), 107–117.
  • Faber Taylor , A. and Kuo , F. 2006 . “ Is contact with nature important for healthy child development? ” . In Children and their environments: learning, using and designing space , Edited by: Spence , C. P. and Blades , M. 124 – 140 . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .
  • Faber Taylor , A. , Kuo , F. and Sullivan , W. 2001 . Coping with add: the surprising connection to green play settings . Environment and Behaviour , 33 ( 1 ) : 54 – 77 .
  • Faber Taylor , A. , Kuo , F. and Sullivan , W. 2002 . Views of nature and self discipline: evidence from inner city children . Journal of Environmental Psychology , 22 ( 1–2 ) : 49 – 63 .
  • Finger, M., 1994. From knowledge to action? Exploring the relationships between environmental experiences, learning and behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 50 (3), 141–160.
  • Foucault , M. 1988 . “ Technologies of self ” . In Technologies of self: a seminar with Michel Foucault , Edited by: Martin , L. H. , Gutman , H. and Hutton , P. 16 – 49 . London : Tavistock Publications .
  • Gagnon, J., et al., 2004. Implementing a hospital-based animal therapy program for children with cancer: a descriptive study. Canadian Oncological Nursing Journal, 14 (4), 217–222.
  • Gibson , J. 1979 . The ecological approach to visual perception , Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company .
  • Giddens , A. 1990 . The consequences of modernity , Cambridge : Polity .
  • Gill , T. 2007 . No fear: growing up in a risk averse society , London : Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, United Kingdom Branch .
  • Gillett, D.P., et al., 1991. The effects of wilderness camping and hiking on the self-concept and the environmental attitudes and knowledge of twelfth graders. Journal of Environmental Education, 22, 33–44.
  • Ginsburg , K. and the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health . 2007 . The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds . Pediatrics , 119 : 182 – 191 .
  • Green , E. and Singleton , C. 2006 . Risky bodies at leisure: young women negotiating space and place . Sociology , 40 ( 5 ) : 853 – 871 .
  • Hansmann, R., Hug, S-M., and Seeland, K., 2007. Restoration and stress relief through physical activities in forests and parks. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 6 (4), 213–225.
  • Harden , J. 2000 . There's no place like home: the public/private distinction in children's theorizing of risk and safety . Childhood , 7 ( 1 ) : 43 – 59 .
  • Hart , R. 1978 . Children's exploration of tomorrow's environments . Ekistics , 45 : 387 – 390 .
  • Hart , R. 1979 . Children's experience of place , New York : Irvington .
  • Heft , H. 1988 . Affordances of children's environments: a functional approach to environmental description . Children's Environments Quarterly , 5 3
  • Henley, J., 2010. Why our children need to get outside and engage with nature [online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health [accessed 21 December 2010].
  • James , S. 1990 . Is there a “place” for children in geography? . Area , 22 ( 3 ) : 278 – 283 .
  • James , A. and James , A. L. 2001 . Childhood: toward a theory of continuity and change . Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science , 575 ( 1 ) : 25 – 37 .
  • James , A. , Jenks , C. and Prout , A. 1998 . Theorizing childhood , Cambridge, , UK : Polity Press .
  • Jenks , C. 1996 . Childhood , London : Routledge .
  • Jorgensen , A. and Anthopoulou , A. 2007 . Enjoyment and fear in urban woodlands – does age make a difference? . Urban Forestry and Urban Greening , 6 ( 4 ) : 267 – 278 .
  • Kahn , P. 1997 . Developmental psychology and the biophilia hypothesis: children's affiliation with nature . Developmental Review , 17 : 1 – 61 .
  • Kahn , P. 2002 . “ Children's affiliations with nature: structure, development, and the problems of environmental generational amnesia ” . In Children and nature: psychological, sociocultural and evolutionary investigations , Edited by: Kahn , P. and Kellert , S. 93 – 116 . London : MIT Press .
  • Kaplan , R. 2001 . The nature of the view from home . Environment and Behaviour , 33 ( 4 ) : 507 – 542 .
  • Kaplan , S. 1995 . The restorative benefits of nature: toward an integrated approach . Journal of Environmental Psychology , 15 : 169 – 182 .
  • Kaplan , R. and Kaplan , S. 1989 . The experience of nature: a psychological perspective , Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .
  • Kellert , S. 2006 . “ Nature and child development ” . In Building for life; designing and understanding the human-nature connection , Edited by: Kellert , S. 63 – 89 . Washington, DC : The Island Press .
  • Kong , L. 2000 . “ Nature's dangers, nature's pleasures: urban children and the natural world ” . In Children's geographies: playing, living, learning , Edited by: Holloway , S. and Valentine , G. 257 – 271 . London : Routledge .
  • Little , J. 2008 . “ Nature, fear and rurality ” . In Fear: critical geopolitics and everyday life , Edited by: Pain , R. and Smith , S. J. 87 – 97 . Surrey : Ashgate Publishing .
  • Louv , R. 2008 . Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder , Algonquin : New York .
  • Lupton , D. and Tulloch , J. 2002 . ‘Risk is part of your life’: risk epistemologies amongst a group of Australians . Sociology , 36 : 317 – 334 .
  • Macpherson , H. 2008 . “I don't know why they call it the Lake District they might as well call it the rock district!” The workings of humour and laughter in research with members of visually impaired walking groups . Environment and Planning D: Society and Space , 26 : 1080 – 1095 .
  • Malone , K. 2007 . The bubble-wrap generation: children growing up in walled gardens . Environmental Education Research , 13 ( 4 ) : 513 – 527 .
  • Mathers , A. R. 2008 . Hidden voices: the participation of people with learning disabilities in the experience of public open space . Local Environment , 13 ( 6 ) : 515 – 529 .
  • Matthews , M. H. 1992 . Making sense of place , Hemel Hempstead : Harvester Wheatsheaf .
  • Matthews , H. 2000 . Growing-up in the countryside: children and the rural idyll . Journal of Rural Studies , 16 ( 2 ) : 141 – 153 .
  • McAvoy , L. 2001 . Outdoors for everyone: opportunities that include people with disabilities . Parks and Recreation , 36 : 24 – 36 .
  • McKee, B., 2005. Growing up denatured. The New York Times, 28 April.
  • Milligan , C. and Bingley , A. 2007 . Restorative spaces or scary places? The impact of woodland on the mental wellbeing of young adults . Health and Place , 13 ( 4 ) : 799 – 811 .
  • Morris , J. 2001 . Social exclusion and young disabled people with high levels of support needs . Critical Social Policy , 21 ( 2 ) : 161 – 184 .
  • National Trust, 2010. National Trust Access Guide [online]. Available from: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-access-2010.pdf [Accessed 21 December 2010].
  • Natural England, 2005. ‘What About Us?’ – Diversity Review Evidence [online]. Available from: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/DR%20pubsethosfullreporttcm2-27064_tcm6-4024.pdf [Accessed 13 November 2011].
  • Pain , R. 1997 . Social geographies of women's fear of crime . Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers , 22 ( 2 ) : 231 – 244 .
  • Pain , R. 2003 . Youth, age, and the representation of fear . Capital and Class , 27 : 151 – 171 .
  • Pain , R. 2004 . Social geography: participatory research . Progress in Human Geography , 28 ( 5 ) : 652 – 663 .
  • Panelli , R. , Kraack , A. and Little , J. 2004 . Claiming space and community: rural women's strategies for living with and beyond fear . Geoforum , 36 ( 4 ) : 495 – 508 .
  • Pergams, O. and Zaradic, P., 2006. Is love of nature in the US becoming love of electronic media? 16-year downtrend innational park visits explained by watching movies, playing video games, internet use, and oil prices. Journal of Environmental Management, 80 (4), 387–393.
  • Pretty, J., et al., 2005. The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 15 (5), 319–337.
  • Roberts, D.F., Rideout, V., and Foehr, U., 2005. Generation M: media in the lives of 8 to 18 year olds. Kaiser Family Foundation. Available from: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Executive-Summary-Generation-M-Media-in-the-Lives-of-8-18-Year-olds.pdf [Accessed 9 November 2011].
  • Royal Horticultural Society, 2010. Growing together: gardening with children and young people with special educational needs, RHS SEN School Project 2009–2010 [online]. Available from: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening/uploads/documents/SEN_report2009–10_final_1049.pdf [Accessed 21 December 2010].
  • Scott , S. , Jackson , S. and Backett-Milburn , K. 1998 . Swings and roundabouts: risk anxiety and the everyday worlds of children . Sociology , 32 ( 4 ) : 689 – 705 .
  • Seeland , K. and Nicole , S. 2006 . Public green space and disabled users . Urban Forestry and Urban Greening , 5 : 29 – 34 .
  • Skelton , T. 2009 . Children's geographies/geographies of children: play, work, mobilities and migration . Geography Compass , 3 ( 4 ) : 1430 – 1448 .
  • Smith , F. and Barker , J. 2001 . Commodifying the countryside: the impact of out-of-school care on rural landscapes of children's play . Area , 33 ( 2 ) : 169 – 176 .
  • The Telegraph, 2010. Parents wrongly believe that abduction is a greater threat to children than inactivity and obesity [online]. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7738113/Parents-wrongly-believe-that-abduction-is-a-greater-threat-to-children-than-inactivity-and-obesity.html [Accessed 20 December 2010].
  • Thomas , N. and O'Kane , C. 1998 . The ethics of participatory research with children . Children and Society , 12 ( 5 ) : 336 – 348 .
  • Townsend , M. 2006 . Feel blue? Touch green! Participation in forest/woodland management as a treatment for depression . Urban Forestry and Urban Greening , 5 ( 3 ) : 111 – 120 .
  • Travlou , P. 2007 . Assessing the contribution of forestry grants to equal access for disabled people to recreation goods, facilities and services in Scottish Forests - a critical review and amendment of the framework and toolkit used by commissioning bodies for the evaluation of projects for increasing access to the outdoors OPENspace report to the Forestry Commission
  • Travlou , P. 2008 . Place mapping with teenagers: locating their territories and documenting their experience of the public realm . Children's Geographies , 6 ( 3 ) : 309 – 326 .
  • Turner , W. , Nakamura , T. and Dinetti , M. 2004 . Global urbanization and the separation of humans from nature . Bioscience , 54 ( 6 ) : 585 – 590 .
  • Ulrich, R., 1984. View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224 (4647), 420–421.
  • Valentine , G. 1996a . Children should be seen and not heard: the production and transgression of adults’ public space . Urban Geography , 17 ( 3 ) : 205 – 220 .
  • Valentine , G. 1996b . Angels and devils: moral landscapes of childhood . Environment and Planning D: Society and Space , 14 : 581 – 599 .
  • Valentine , G. 1997a . A safer place to grow up? Parenting perceptions of children's safety and the rural idyll . Journal of Rural Studies , 13 ( 2 ) : 137 – 148 .
  • Valentine , G. 1997b . “Oh yes I can.” “Oh no you can't”: children and parents’ understandings of kids’ competence to negotiate public space safely . Antipode , 29 ( 1 ) : 65 – 89 .
  • Valentine , G. 1999 . Being seen and heard? The ethical complexities of working with children and young people at home and at school . Ethics, Place and Environment , 2 ( 2 ) : 141 – 156 .
  • Valentine , G. and McKendrick , J. 1997 . Children's outdoor play: exploring parental concerns about children's safety and the changing nature of childhood . Geoforum , 28 ( 2 ) : 219 – 235 .
  • Ward Thompson , C. , Roe , J. and Travlou , P. 2007 . Free range teenagers: the role of wild adventure space in young people's lives . Countryside Recreation , 15 ( 3 ) : 12 – 15 .
  • Ward Thompson , C. , Aspinall , P. and Montarzino , A. 2008 . The childhood factor: adult visits to green spaces and the significance of childhood experience . Environment and Behaviour , 40 ( 1 ) : 111 – 143 .
  • Wells, N., 2000. At home with nature: effects of ‘Greenness’ on children's cognitive function. Environment and Behaviour, 32 (6), 775–795.
  • Wells, N. and Evans, G., 2003. Nearby nature: a buffer of life stress among rural children. Environment and Behaviour, 35 (3), 311–330.
  • Williams , R. 2004 . Outdoor recreation participation of people with mobility disabilities: selected results of the national survey of recreation and the environment . Journal of Park and Recreation Administration , 22 ( 2 ) : 84 – 100 .
  • Wolpert , J. 1980 . The dignity of risk . Transactions, Institute of British Geographers , 5 ( 4 ) : 391 – 401 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.