Why Forest School Can Be Transformational for Autistic Children

written by Kirsty Bourhill 

For many autistic children, the traditional classroom can be a challenging place to learn. Bright lights, crowded spaces, constant noise, constant transitions, and social expectations can create sensory overload and anxiety. Forest School offers a different approach, one where children can learn, explore, and develop confidence in a natural environment that often feels more regulated, predictable, and accepting.

As awareness of neurodiversity grows, many families and educators are recognising the unique benefits that outdoor learning can offer autistic children, including those who are sensory-seeking and those who present with a PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy) profile.

Understanding Sensory Differences in Autism

Autistic children often experience the world differently through their senses. Some may be highly sensitive to sounds, lights, textures, or movement, while others actively seek sensory input through climbing, spinning, jumping, touching, or exploring their environment. Sensory differences are now recognised as a core characteristic of autism and can have a significant impact on learning, wellbeing, and participation.  

Many indoor environments contain sensory demands that children cannot easily control such as fluorescent lighting, echoing classrooms, crowded corridors, strong smells, and constant background noise. These can quickly lead to overwhelm and dysregulation. This was a personal experience with my own son. 

In contrast, natural environments typically provide sensory experiences that are richer but less intense. The sounds of birdsong, rustling leaves, flowing water, and wind tend to be more predictable and less intrusive than the sensory input found indoors. Research exploring autistic people’s experiences of nature has found that many describe outdoor spaces as restorative, calming, and supportive of sensory regulation.  

Why Forest School Works for Sensory-Seeking Children

Sensory-seeking children often need opportunities for movement, proprioceptive input (body awareness), vestibular experiences (balance and movement), and tactile exploration.

Forest School naturally provides these opportunities:

• Climbing trees and balancing on logs
• Digging, lifting, carrying, and building
• Swinging, rolling, and exploring uneven terrain
• Handling natural materials such as mud, leaves, sticks, and stones
• Engaging in risky play within supported boundaries

These activities provide meaningful sensory input without the need for children to suppress their natural instincts. Rather than being told to sit still or stop fidgeting, children are encouraged to move, explore, and learn through their bodies.

The result is often improved regulation, concentration, confidence, and engagement. Many children who struggle to remain settled in a classroom demonstrate remarkable focus when immersed in purposeful outdoor activities.

Supporting Children with a PDA Profile

Children with a PDA profile of autism often experience an intense need for autonomy and may find direct demands highly anxiety-provoking. While PDA remains an evolving area of understanding and terminology, many families and practitioners recognise that these children often thrive when relationships, flexibility, and collaboration are prioritised over compliance.  

Forest School philosophy aligns naturally with many of the approaches recommended for supporting PDA learners.

Key features include:

Choice and Autonomy

Rather than a rigid timetable, Forest School sessions typically offer invitations to participate. Children can choose activities, follow their interests, and engage at their own pace.

Relationship-Based Practice

Forest School leaders build trust over time through genuine connection, shared experiences, and respectful communication. This relationship-first approach can reduce anxiety and create a sense of safety.

Reduced Performance Pressure

There are no desks, worksheets, tests, or expectations to perform in a particular way. Children can experience success through exploration, creativity, and problem-solving.

Flexible Learning

Learning emerges through curiosity and play rather than through a series of imposed demands. This flexibility can be particularly beneficial for children who become overwhelmed by expectations and perceived pressure.

For many children with PDA characteristics, the freedom and autonomy offered by Forest School can transform their engagement and enjoyment of learning.

Creating Truly Inclusive Spaces

Inclusion is not simply about allowing children to attend, it is about creating environments where they can genuinely belong.

Forest School offers an inclusive model because it values different ways of learning, communicating, and participating. Children are not expected to fit a narrow definition of success.

A child who communicates through movement can be successful. A child who prefers solitary exploration can be successful. A child who learns through hands-on experiences can be successful. A child who needs regular sensory breaks can be successful.

The natural environment provides multiple ways to engage, reducing barriers that may exist in more traditional educational settings. Research into nature-based learning for autistic children suggests benefits including improved emotional wellbeing, increased engagement, reduced stress, and positive behavioural outcomes.  

Beyond Autism: Benefits for Everyone

One of the greatest strengths of Forest School is that strategies which support autistic children often benefit all children.

Flexible learning opportunities, sensory-aware environments, movement-rich experiences, strong relationships, and child-led exploration create conditions where every learner can thrive.

This reflects the principles of inclusive education, when we design environments that meet diverse needs, everybody benefits.

Final Thoughts

Every autistic child is unique. Some may find nature calming and restorative, while others may need support to navigate aspects of the outdoor environment. However, Forest School offers something that many traditional settings struggle to provide, space to be yourself.

For sensory-seeking children, it offers opportunities for meaningful movement and exploration.

For children with a PDA profile, it offers autonomy, flexibility, and relationship-based learning.

For all children, it creates a culture of acceptance, belonging, and inclusion.

Our social and academic systems are broken, they often asks children to adapt to their environment, Forest School invites the environment to adapt to the child.

 

Further Reading and References

Professional Organisations

• National Autistic Society – Autism and Sensory Processing⁠
• Autistica – Sensory Differences⁠
• Autism Central – Sensory Differences Guide⁠

Research Articles

• Nature-Based Learning and Autism: A Systematic Review of Autistic Children’s Emotional Health and Behavioural Outcomes (2025)  
• Sensory Responsive Environments: Perceived Relationships Between Outdoor Environments and Sensory Sensitivities (2024)  
• Autistic Adults’ Sensory Experiences Engaging with Nature (2025)

Why Prioritising Activities Can Undermine Forest School’s Potential.

Written by Kirsty Bourhill