Outdoor learning is incorporated into the curriculum of many educational settings, supported by research highlighting numerous benefits this can have for some children and young people (CYP) (Coates & Pimlott-Wilson, 2019; Hussein, 2017a). However, there is currently little understanding of the experience and potential impact of the outdoors for CYP with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD).
Multisensory experiences have been identified to be a crucial element in the development and wellbeing of CYP with PMLD (Grace, 2018). Separate research identifies the outdoors as spaces in which multisensory experiences can be naturally accessed (Hart, 2003). However, there is again a lack of research investigating the capacity of outdoor environments to create multisensory experiences for CYP with PMLD.
This study aims to add to this understanding by exploring the experiences of CYP with PMLD accessing outdoor spaces. Through a social constructionist approach, ethnographic participant observations were utilised within one Forest School and one Sensory Garden accessed by CYP with PMLD. Interpretations of the experience were developed in collaboration with practitioners who knew the CYP well. Three semi-structured interviews were also conducted with practitioners who facilitate access to outdoor learning for CYP with PMLD.
Field notes and transcripts were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Themes highlighted several aspects of the outdoor experience for CYP with PMLD; these include it being a relational space that supports equality and agency, whilst also enabling benefits such as improved communication, engagement, movement, and pain/healthcare management. Multisensory experiences can be accessed outdoors through natural resources, and are felt to be more meaningful than those experienced indoors. The outdoors is also perceived to be a space that CYP with PMLD enjoy being in, helping to change a culture of marginalisation and exclusion. Implications for practitioners, Educational Psychologists, and systemic change are explored, alongside suggestions for future research.
