Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Natural environments play a critical role in a child’s development—physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Nature is portrayed as a place for creativity and inspiration, and also healing, especially for children living in destructive family environments. Unlike television, nature doesn’t “steal time; it amplifies it” (7). It can serve as a “blank slate” for a child’s imagination, and it “inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses” (7). On a deeper level, nature helps instill a sense of humility and wonder, providing children with a respite from the stresses of modern life.

Despite these benefits, there has been a shift in attitudes toward nature. The phenomenon of “nature-deficit disorder” is introduced to describe the growing detachment children feel from the outdoors, attributed in part to technological distractions and parental fears. The attitude toward nature has changed from one of necessity and freedom to one of optional engagement, with nature increasingly seen as something “off-limits,” “alien,” or “dangerous.” While nature has physically shrunk due to urban development, the barriers preventing children from connecting with nature more often reside in attitudes than in accessibility.