Frances E. Kuo & Andrea Faber Taylor, Directors
 
 

 

 
   
 
 

Current Research

xxx

 

Past Research

on green landscaping and...

ADHD Symptoms in Kids Across the U.S.

Inner City Girls & Self-discipline

Coping in the Inner City

Inner City Crime

Domestic Violence in the Inner City

Building Strong Inner City Communities

 

 

 

 

View all scientific articles

 

Green Play Settings Reduce ADHD Symptoms

Two surveys of parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder have shown that performing activities in green settings can reduce the symptoms of AD/HD. In an initial, Midwestern-based study, parents were more likely to nominate activities that typically occur in outdoor green settings as being best for their child’s symptoms and those that typically occur in indoor or non-green outdoor areas as worst. Also, parents rated their child’s symptoms as better on average after activities that occur in green settings than after activities in non-green settings. In the subsequent, nation-wide study, activities such as reading or playing sports were reported as improving children’s symptoms more when performed in outdoor green settings than in non-green settings.

AD/HD affects up to 7% of children. Those afflicted have chronic difficulty paying attention and focusing on tasks and can be impulsive, outburst-prone, and sometimes aggressive. These behaviors often result in family conflict, peer rejection, and academic failure. Current treatments, drugs and behavioral therapy, do not work in all cases and in many cases offer only limited relief. Adding trees and greenery near homes and schools and encouraging kids with AD/HD to go outside may help supplement established treatments to improve functioning.

 

The information here is from the original scientific articles:

Faber Taylor, A., Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). “Coping with ADD: The surprising connection to green play settings.” Environment and Behavior, 33(1), 54-77. Copyright 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.

Kuo, F.E., & Faber Taylor, A. (2004). “A potential natural treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence from a national study.” American Journal of Public Health, 94(9), 1580-1586. Copyright 2004 American Public Health Association

For more information:

 

 

More questions? Contact Frances E. Kuo (fekuo@uiuc.edu) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Landscape and Human Health Laboratory, 1103 S. Dorner Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801.

This research was supported by the University of Illinois, by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculure, and by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program on the recommendation of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council.