Nature-Deficit Disorder

After reading the assigned chapters from Gifts of Nature by Richard Louv, the chapter that stood out the most to me was titled Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment.  The chapter discusses how studies show that nature may be a useful therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  I wrote a paper about 11 years ago for a course at Edison Community College, where I felt then and still do now, that children are being incorrectly diagnosed with this disorder.  In my opinion, we are over medicating our children, so that parents can be lazy.  What we really have is a Parental Deficit Disorder.  Parents buy their children all these technologies and video games, and the kids rot inside their rooms all day.  It keeps the kids out of their way.  Then they go to school with all this wound up energy and they act up.  Immediately the school suggests medication and most parents follow through and put them on Ritalin or one of the other medications.  I personally feel that the problem is lack of parent interaction, and a lack of time spent playing outside.  My children have all the fun video games, computers, and whatever else they’ve talked me into; however, their time is limited and accounted for.  I make sure they play outside each day, and we do simple things like eat as a family and discuss our day.  Most families these days don’t even sit at the table and eat their dinner.  I even know a few that eat in separate rooms so that everyone can watch their own television shows.  I don’t think a lot of people realize how important of a connection you get with your children when you take the time to listen to them. 

We also take walks around the neighbor and talk about anything and everything you can imagine.  Two weeks ago we not only added a baby boy to the family, but we also added a 13 year old young man who has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.  I have known him his entire life, and he has gone through more terrible situations than good in his life.  He was about to go to foster care, and I just couldn’t let that happen to him. Adding him did make it five children in my household, but hey what’s one more.  Anyway, he was diagnosed with ADHD when he was around 7 or 8 years old.  I always disagreed with the diagnosis and have always fully thought it was a lack of parental guidance in his life. He is a kid with a lot of energy, but honestly, what kid isn’t.  He didn’t pay attention well in class and he misbehaved.  I think he misbehaved because he was acting out about his home life.  Now being that he is bi-polar makes his situation a little different, however I believe that positive adult interaction and some time spent with nature is a good way to help him fight his mental illness.  After two weeks of staying with us, the school has taken notice on his behavior and he told my sister he wants to stay with us because he feels loved for the first time in his life.  All the kid needs is someone to actually care and spend some time with him.  Last weekend we started building a fort in the woods behind the house, we are planning a family camping trip for next month, and tomorrow he is going hunting at Cecil Webb.  I think that if I keep him in a positive situation and expose him to the outside world, he can spend all that energy up, while enjoying the fresh air.