FORESTRY PROJECT
What We Do
The forestry project represents a collaboration between the Center for Leadership in Disability and a number of university and community partners. This project aims to determine whether exposure to green or built environments impacts behavioral expressions of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
To study this our research team is conducting primary and secondary data. The primary data involves a study wherein children with ASD go on two different walks, one in a heavily tree canopied area and the other in an area with few trees. During and after walks children are tested to determine whether there are differences in their stress levels or measured attention. Secondary data studies involve merging data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and the National Landcover Database to determine if community greenspace is associated with behavioral outcomes in children with and without ASD.
Meet The Team
Find Out More
• Barger, B., et al. (2020, in progress). The impact of greenspace and greyspace on developmental concerns in typical children, children with autism and children with special healthcare needs.
• Barger, B., et al. (2020, in progress). The effects of greenspace on wellbeing in typical youth, youth with autism and children with special healthcare needs.
• Barger, B., et al. (2021, in press). Measuring greenspace effects on attention and stress in youth: A scoping review.Children, Youth and Environments, 31(1), xx-xx.
• Barger, B., et al. (2020). Community tree canopy coverage predicts lower conduct problem severity in children with autism. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 13(1), 43-61.
• Center for Leadership in Disability (2020). Nature programs developing outreach for children with autism.
• Center for Leadership in Disability (2020).Nature based research for youth with autism.
• Larson, L., et al. (2018). Green space, gray space, and anxiety in youth with autism. Health and Place 53, 94 - 102.
Associated Publications
• Gaither, C. J., Kuehler, E., Zipperer, W., Aka, E. O., & Barger, B. (2019). Trees and Trash: Examining the Link Between Urban Forest Engagement and Blight in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Human Ecology Review, 25(2).
• Barger, B., et al. (2020). The relationship between greenspace, greyspace and positive PEDS screening in children with ASD, CSHCN, and typical children. Poster submitted for the 2021 Annual Meeting for the International Society for Autism Research.
• Barger, B., et al. (2020). The complex relationship between greenspace and wellbeing in children with ASD, CSHCN, and typical children. Poster submitted for the 2021 Annual Meeting for the International Society for Autism Research.
• Danielly, D. (2019). Effects of forest walks on working memory in children with autism. Capstone Chair: Vivian Dicks (Environmental Health: August University).
• Sutton, A. (2018). Cortisol response to walks in tree canopy versus non-tree canopied areas. Capstone Chair: Laura Caruth (Neuroscience).
• Barger, B., et al. (2018). Green space exposure predicts anxiety and conduct problems in youth with ASD. Poster presented at the 2018 International Meeting for Autism Research.
• Barger, B. (2017). Effects of nature on typical and atypical child development. Invited Presentation to US Forest Service Southern Research Station.
Contact Us
Address
Center for Leadership in Disability
Urban Life Building
140 Decatur Street SE
Suite 140
Atlanta, GA 30303