American researchers from the University of Illinois in Chicago surveyed parents of 400 children aged five and above with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) about where their child normally plays everyday and their overall symptoms.
Their findings revealed that children who regularly played in areas with big trees and open grass had milder symptoms than those who played in built outdoor environments or indoors.
In particular they found that children with ADHD benefitted most from playing in areas of open grass, with parents reporting that they had the mildest symptoms, whereas the children with ADD had fewer symptoms if they regularly played in areas of open grass or big trees and grass.
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