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PDFThe Benefits of Wilderness Therapy for Teens with ADHD, Asperger’s and Nonverbal Learning Disorder
Meghan Vivo
Teens act out for all kinds of reasons. Some become angry and defiant because of their parents’ divorce, some start using drugs or alcohol to fit in with a certain peer group, and some immerse themselves in video games, gambling or the Internet to cope with problems at school.
Disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), nonverbal learning disorder (NLD) and Asperger’s syndrome can also be at the core of a teen’s behavioral issues. Parents know they need help, but they aren’t sure where to turn.
Assessing the Treatment Options
How do parents know whether their child would benefit most from a program designed specifically for teens with learning disorders or a program that treats various types of teen issues? According to Neal Christensen, the clinical director at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions, a wilderness program for troubled teens, adolescents with moderate to severe social and emotional deficits generally require a program that specializes in teens with special needs. These programs allow teens to develop social skills in the company of other teens with similar issues.
Teens with ADHD, NLD, mild Asperger’s and related disorders, in contrast, thrive when they are in the company of teens who have different struggles. This gives them a chance to learn social skills by interacting with teens who do not have social skill deficits and modeling their behaviors.
“In wilderness therapy programs, teens learn to be accepting and tolerant of other teens’ problems,” said Christensen. “Every student has the opportunity to be both a mentor and an apprentice.”
A Social Dilemma
Public schools often lack the resources to meet the social and emotional needs of teens with learning disabilities. These teens can often begin to fly under the radar and isolate themselves from the rest of the class.
“If a teen isn’t diagnosed with a specific learning disability by high school, they may not receive the help they need,” said Christensen. “Particularly for students with ADHD, NLD and Asperger’s, their disorder may go unnoticed because of the student’s intelligence and academic ability.”
The problem is that social struggles often sabotage academic success. Children with mild Asperger’s, ADHD and NLD can do reasonably well in elementary and middle school but may start to struggle in high school when daily life is less about academic success and more about social success. As daily life gets more complex, teens have to juggle school, activities, relationship and more, all while making plans for the future.
“In high school, teens are expected to manage their social life on their own, no longer relying on their parents to set up play dates or their teachers helping them connect with other students,” noted Christensen. “These students often have not learned adequate social skills, appropriate peer communication or conflict management skills, and they can get left out or left behind.”
As much as 90 percent of communication is nonverbal, which means teens with NLD and Asperger’s may not pick up nonverbal cues that are critical for peer relationships. Additionally, these teens may not understand the jokes, slang and double meanings that make up much of teenage speech. Because they have difficulty interpreting social cues, lack appropriate timing or miss the point, teens with NLD and Asperger’s may be viewed as awkward or weird and struggle to fit in with their peers.
“When a teen falls outside the social current, they are often ostracized by their peers,” said Christensen. “They may be confused by this since they are trying their best to fit in and then react by pulling away or acting out in an effort to gain social acceptance.”
As a result of being rejected by their peers, teens with Asperger’s, ADHD or NLD may become withdrawn, spending increasing amounts of time surfing the Internet or playing video games. Video game and Internet use can become serious concerns for children with these disorders because they can become addictive.
“When face-to-face interactions get too complicated, teens may flee to the Internet to create a new identity,” said Christensen. “Even if they feel incompetent at school, they can feel powerful online.”
Other signs of trouble can include dropping out of sports or other activities they used to enjoy, making excuses to skip school or social events, and withdrawing from family or friends.
Building Social Skills and Focus in the Wilderness
Wilderness programs are an ideal match for teens with social skill deficits because they are built on confidence-building activities and peer interaction. Far away from video games and the Internet, a small group of students lives together 24 hours a day, hiking, setting up camp and engaging in activities that require personal challenge, teamwork and communication.
Teens give and receive constructive feedback and process that feedback with field staff and therapists. If the students have a disagreement, it is not an option to walk away and avoid peer interaction. Instead, the teens learn to communicate and resolve issues in a healthy way with coaching from field staff and therapists who are supervising and facilitating group interactions.
Being in the wilderness also improves teens’ focus. Teens with ADHD benefit from the physical activity and “green time” that are inherent parts of the wilderness therapy experience. As part of a healthy lifestyle, the students eat a nutritious diet, exercise and get plenty of sleep, which helps them regulate their emotions and stay focused.
Teens’ days are filled with activities that increase focus and reduce hyperactivity, such as writing, reading, group therapy, games and hiking. Because life in the wilderness is so different from life at home and teens are constantly learning new skills, they are more motivated to stay on task.
In addition, the lessons teens learn in the wilderness are less abstract than some of the lessons taught at school. The skills they learn each day immediately get put to use out in the field. Their therapy assignments are relevant and practical, helping teens manage their anger, focus on a task, and build relationships with their peers and families. Because these skills help them feel better about themselves and make their lives more enjoyable,the students become invested in the process and make impressive strides in their personal growth.
Choosing a Wilderness Program
Outback Therapeutic Expeditions is a clinically sophisticated wilderness program that creates an ideal environment for teens with ADHD, NLD, mild Asperger’s and other learning challenges.
The first step in treating any disorder is getting an accurate picture of what’s happening with a child. Outback contracts with a psychological testing service that performs psychological assessments that are in-depth and comprehensive. Sometimes students enter the wilderness program with a specific diagnosis only to find that another diagnosis is more accurate or that there are other issues occurring that had been overlooked.
At Outback, teens with NLD, ADHD and Asperger’s get ongoing social skill practice and plenty of positive peer interaction, which boosts their self-esteem and begins to alleviate some of the anxiety and depression that frequently go along with these disorders. The therapists also works with the teens’ parents to help them support and set reasonable expectations for their child.
Empowered with information about their disorder and new skills, teens can begin to advocate for their needs at school and continue to build on the success that began in the wilderness.