Contact with nature is having a profound impact on children with additional needs at Nurture to Nature outdoor nursery in Croxteth Park, central Liverpool. Without the noises and visual distractions of modern-day living, the symptoms of children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) are ‘dampened down and, in some cases, non-existent’, according to managing director Julie White.
A third of the intake at the 15-place nursery, which is situated in 300 square metres of old deciduous woodland, have additional needs, with many affected by SPD.
The disorder, which is most commonly associated with autism and epilepsy, affects a child’s ability to receive and respond to sensory information. As well as relating to the five senses of sound, sight, hearing, touch and taste, sensory processing also relates to our vestibular and proprioceptive systems, which regulate our sense of balance.
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