In this 100th episode of The Wild Minds Podcast, I'm in discussion with Michael James and Stefania Donzelli.
We explore what Forest School and autism can teach us about difference, belonging, relationship and the ways we create environments where people can genuinely be themselves.

We discuss:

• Why autism is far more than a diagnostic category, and what changes when we listen to autistic people’s own experiences and perspectives.
• Moving beyond the deficit model and questioning the assumptions of neuro-normativity.
• Forest School as a micro-community where relationships, trust, autonomy and belonging can create different possibilities.
• The triangle of trust between practitioner, participant and environment and why all three matter.
• The social model of disability and how barriers can sometimes sit in our environments, communication and expectations rather than in the individual.
• Sensory differences and the outdoor environment, including why nature itself may need to be adapted rather than treated as something fixed and untouchable.
• The importance of flexibility, communication and listening - recognising that the participant may be the greatest expert in their own experience.
• Power and authority in Forest School, and what happens when we create spaces where people can question, negotiate and do things differently.
• Intersectionality and Universal Design for Learning, and the value of anticipating different ways of participating, communicating and expressing ourselves.
• Nature as an active participant, including a beautiful story about a non-speaking child, a wisteria and the possibility of seeing behaviour differently.
• The importance of place, repeated encounters and embodied experience, and what the woods can offer beyond a prescribed programme of activities.
• Curiosity, disagreement and connection in a polarised world, and why sometimes the answer might be to go to the woods, light a fire, have a cuppa and talk.
  
  

Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com

Stefania’s Neurodiversity and Outdoor Education Network and the current project collecting outdoor inclusion stories: 
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Stefania Donzelli Links:
www.stefaniadonzelli.com
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• Forthcoming publication in English about stories of participation:  Donzelli, S., Pepe, E., Donato, A., & Dipierro, L. (forthcoming). “Stories of Participation: Agency, Risk and the Relational Production of Inclusion Outdoors.” In G. French (Ed.), Reimagining Outdoor Spaces for Equity and Inclusion. Routledge. 
• Second edition of Forest School and Autism. Pre-Order Here
• Exact Mike Oliver video on the social model of disability. (5 minutes mark to see Professor Oliver expand on the idea that the Social Model should be seen as a tool.): Watch Video   
• Dr Samantha Friedman profile/source connected to the training chapter: https://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-samantha-friedman
• Grunya Sukhareva: https://www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/history-forgot-woman-defined-autism/
• Tim Stanley ( quote at 29:45 https://youtu.be/LOmuUmITHeg?si=CMoeU1I4--_dCXoD )