The effect of the natural environment and greenness on behavior, function, and well-being among individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review. Wells, N. M., Tralins, J., Li, D., Mateer, T. J., Eldermire, E. R. B., le Roux Ohm, H., Lantz, J., & Kibbee, M. R. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 105:102619, August, 2025. ![The effect of the natural environment and greenness on behavior, function, and well-being among individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex In recent decades, a substantial body of literature has documented the benefits of nature on cognitive and behavioral outcomes among neurotypical individuals. However, relatively few studies have examined the effects of the natural environment among people with autism spectrum disorder. This scoping review delves into existing autism-specific literature and documents the types of studies that have been conducted, the populations studied, the outcome variables examined, and the gaps that exist under the umbrella of the natural environment and autism. A systematic search was conducted across a broad range of electronic databases utilizing comprehensive search strings. Initially, resulting studies were screened on a basis of title and abstract. Subsequently, full-text screenings were conducted on articles deemed relevant in the initial screening. At each stage of the screening process, conflicts were resolved by at least three authors to reach an inclusion/exclusion consensus. Ultimately, 36 studies were included. The studies were conducted in more than a dozen countries and most were published in the last 8 years. The operationalizations of nature included hands-on gardening and horticulture programs, nearby nature outings, nature trips such as camping and backpacking, and aggregate scale nature exposure and non-specific nature access. Dependent variables were categorized as: behavior, function, and well-being. Results across studies were aggregated in an evidence matrix to highlight current knowledge areas and gaps. The 36 studies described in this review provide a foundation for further work examining nature’s effects on people with autism.
@article{wells_effect_2025,
title = {The effect of the natural environment and greenness on behavior, function, and well-being among individuals with autism spectrum disorder: {A} scoping review},
volume = {105},
issn = {0272-4944},
shorttitle = {The effect of the natural environment and greenness on behavior, function, and well-being among individuals with autism spectrum disorder},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494425001021},
doi = {10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102619},
abstract = {In recent decades, a substantial body of literature has documented the benefits of nature on cognitive and behavioral outcomes among neurotypical individuals. However, relatively few studies have examined the effects of the natural environment among people with autism spectrum disorder. This scoping review delves into existing autism-specific literature and documents the types of studies that have been conducted, the populations studied, the outcome variables examined, and the gaps that exist under the umbrella of the natural environment and autism. A systematic search was conducted across a broad range of electronic databases utilizing comprehensive search strings. Initially, resulting studies were screened on a basis of title and abstract. Subsequently, full-text screenings were conducted on articles deemed relevant in the initial screening. At each stage of the screening process, conflicts were resolved by at least three authors to reach an inclusion/exclusion consensus. Ultimately, 36 studies were included. The studies were conducted in more than a dozen countries and most were published in the last 8 years. The operationalizations of nature included hands-on gardening and horticulture programs, nearby nature outings, nature trips such as camping and backpacking, and aggregate scale nature exposure and non-specific nature access. Dependent variables were categorized as: behavior, function, and well-being. Results across studies were aggregated in an evidence matrix to highlight current knowledge areas and gaps. The 36 studies described in this review provide a foundation for further work examining nature’s effects on people with autism.},
urldate = {2025-07-07},
journal = {Journal of Environmental Psychology},
author = {Wells, Nancy M. and Tralins, Jordan and Li, Dongying and Mateer, Timothy J. and Eldermire, Erin R. B. and le Roux Ohm, Helena and Lantz, Johanna and Kibbee, Matthew R.},
month = aug,
year = {2025},
keywords = {Dept: Human Centered Design, PubType: Scoping Review},
pages = {102619},
}
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