Kim Stoddart explains how her son’s autism diagnosis set her on a mission to use therapeutic gardening to help those on the spectrum
If someone had said to me ten years ago that autism and the therapeutic benefits of gardening will become your life, I wouldn’t have believed them. Yes, I enjoyed growing some of my own food in my back yard in Brighton, but it wasn’t until my son Arthur’s autism diagnosis a few years back that everything changed. Now I believe so strongly in the power of gardening to help those on the spectrum having seen its positive impact on my son, I’ve set up a social enterprise to do just this.
Although it’s still very early days, things are starting to take shape on my smallholding in Ceredigion, West Wales. The training garden is ready for the resilient gardener course I’ve just launched; all profits from which will help fund our work with people affected by autism. It will also be used as a therapeutic space as it’s packed full of scented plants, natural sounds and wildlife galore to help provide all important emotional regulation as well as sensory interest.
Continue reading...from Gardening blog | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2oCLlvh
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