The first seven years of our marriage were filled with hiking and backpacking trips, camping excursions, whitewater kayaking trips, off road adventures, caving sprees and SCUBA diving trips to the Caribbean. We spent virtually all of our free time outdoors and were always planning our next great adventure. On our seventh wedding anniversary, however, we embarked on an all new type of journey: parenthood. We spent that anniversary aboard an old wooden boat on the Mekong River in southern Vietnam, holding our newly adopted 11 month old son.It seemed to many that our days of outdoor adventuring would be over. As it turns out, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We whisked our son away with us on all of our outdoor adventures. Sure we had to modify or scale back on some of our trips, but we certainly didn’t slow down. Over time, our son grew to love the outdoors as much as we did.
When our new son finally came home in early 2011, we wasted no time in introducing him to the outdoors–something he’d never known behind orphanage walls. It took time to even build up to a nature walk in the park. I’m not sure how else to describe his initial reaction to nature, however, other than to say it was truly magical. With a diagnosis of autism and significant cognitive delay, and the fact that he had much trauma to overcome from his previous life, daily life could be a huge struggle. He hoarded food. He exploded into a mess of violence over the smallest of matters. Riding in the car made him sick and dizzy. He sobbed and moaned throughout each night out of fear and grieving. But outdoors, everything was different. In fact, everything became much better for all of us. The quietness of nature calmed our son’s sensory system. The rich sensory environment provided just the right amount of input for him. The freedom to explore ignited his sense of wonder. Outdoors, it seemed as if he could conquer the world.
We make adaptations for our special needs son so that he can enjoy the outdoors. His motor skills are delayed and he needs assistance with many tasks. Safety is also a big concern and we make sure to take every precaution imaginable to keep him safe. It can be exhausting, but to me, it is certainly worth the extra effort. So far, our five year old son with special needs enjoys hiking (for now he is carried in a backpack but can hike the non-treacherous areas for a short time), canoeing, caving, horseback riding and indoor rock climbing. We are brainstorming new ideas about how to keep him safe as he grows older. I am constantly finding that my son is capable of much more than I give him credit for. Just a few weekends ago I ran the Columbia Mini Muddy Buddy race with my two sons. My son with special needs completed the run with my assistance. As we crossed the finish line hand-in-hand, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears for my son who has overcome so much in his short life.
Dear reader, I do not know what your story may be. But what I do know is that no matter the obstacles that may be present in your life, adventure truly is within your grasp. The outdoors belong to us all. In fact, last month I created a hiking group in my community for families with special needs children. So far the experience has been truly wonderful and has only further confirmed my belief that outdoor adventure is for all. No excuses–get outside and find your own adventure!
Lauren (aka Hiking Mama) is a lover of nature, avid hiker, outdoor junkie, former biochemist and a mama to two boys adopted from across the globe–one who happens to have autism. She fiercely believes that adventure is for all. You will find Lauren blogging about all of her family’s adventures at Hike.Blog.Love.
Lovely post!
Thanks so much for reading!
Love this post and learning more about you! I have a close friend who’s son was just diagnosed with high functioning autism. I have somewhere to send her for encouragement now! And I totally agree, the outdoors IS for everyone.
Thanks Alyssa! Yes, I would love to connect with others who parent children on the spectrum
Love this post, Lauren! It is so awesome to hear of your family’s love to open up your heart to a child with special needs and the conviction to not let what people think hold you back from what you are passionate about! I think all children benefit incredibly from outdoor adventure, and I love to hear how the wide open has added even more life to your family!
Thank you Rachel. It can be hard sometimes when others may not agree with our belief that adventure is for everyone, especially on some of our outdoor trips, but we just keep on doing what we love and we are all better for it
Thanks for commenting!
Truly inspiring post that just made me smile. EVERY parent whether they have a special needs child or not should be treating their children to the outdoors like this. LOVE it!
Thank you Melissa!
wow. thank you for sharing your world with us, i appreciate it immensely. i live in a community of people who are constantly pushing themselves to get out and enjoy and expose themselves and their families to the natural world around them– but rarely (if ever) is there a discussion about how to live this life with children with special needs. i think it is a huge piece of the natural world that so many families are missing and i am really inspired to see your struggles and your triumphs and the ways that you integrate your boys into this world. not a dry eye in the room tonight, thank you so much for sharing, i truly appreciate it.
Thanks so much for commenting! I hope that I can get the conversation started about special needs + the outdoors. I am trying to encourage others to get out there, I don’t want them to miss out just because they think it is too hard or they don’t feel supported
A lovely story and a reminder to us all, about the wonderful life we can give our children by sharing the outdoors and its adventures with them.
Thank you!
such a great inspiration and determination!