Forest School and Autism

Taking lived autistic experience as our starting point, this co-created workshop will offer practical advice on providing nurturing, person-centred outdoor experiences to meet the needs of autistic learners.

Together, we will explore ways Forest School pedagogy and practice can promote autism-accepting learning communities and positive impacts beyond the woods. Discussions will range from the Neurodiversity Paradigm to the Social Model of Disability and explain why these ideas must be embedded in our practice to understand stress and how to support young people in crisis.

We will reflect on how we can establish autism acceptance at all levels of the Forest School community. What does ‘Quality Forest School for All’ look like from the perspective of autistic young people and neurodivergent practitioners?

This workshop is open to everyone who cares about creating a safe, kind, compassionate education system that serves autistic people well. We are linking this workshop with a Forest School leader training programme for the first time.

Please join us if you are a neurodivergent or neurotypical practitioner, homeschooling parent, teacher, Forest School leader, SEND leader, or mental health or social care professional.

Michael James has over 25 years of experience supporting autistic people in various settings and is the author of “Forest School and Autism”. An updated version of this book is with the publishers - written with Dr Stefania Donazelli, an expert in autistic play, and other neurodivergent practitioners and researchers. Michael and colleagues offer a paradigm shift from a deficit, even medicalised model of autism, identifying how the relational, strengths-based approach of Forest School meets the needs of many autistic and neurodivergent people. His wisdom, compassion and commitment to changing the story for autistic people, with autistic people, have already significantly impacted Forest School practice. He is an experienced level 3 Forest School practitioner whose workshops fill immediately at conferences.

Sarah Lawfull has over thirty years of experience teaching autistic children in mainstream schools, working in specialist provision and supporting autistic teenagers and children through voluntary youth work. She has learned with parents and from the young people themselves, discovering that the route to improving life for everyone is building effective relationships and communities that value and accept each individual. Working from a strengths-based approach with the loving pedagogy of Forest School, Sarah is committed to changing outcomes for autistic people with autistic people because they are the experts! Reading Michael’s book Forest School and Autism, she realised that if everyone were treated the way he proposes and provided with regular time in nature, the education system would work for everyone.
Sarah is a co-founder of the Nature Premium Campaign and is the outgoing chair of the Forest School Association.

Emily Edwards is a late-discovered Autistic ADHDer, ICF Accredited Coach, and former Forest School Leader with a deep understanding of and passion for nature and the benefits of nature connection for neurodivergent people. Emily has over 10 years' experience working with Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent adults, often with co-occurring needs, and brings her own lived experience to her professional practice. Emily is also the parent of a young Autistic ADHDer and has experience navigating the education system, advocating for support, and creating environments where neurodivergent children can thrive.
As a Forest School Leader, Emily worked in a range of settings, including a Montessori nursery, primary schools, and alternative provision, all with a focus on enabling those children and young people whose systems were not calibrated for the mainstream curriculum and/or environment. Through her business, withINsight Coaching, she supports neurodivergent individuals to better understand themselves, harness their strengths, and advocate for their needs so that they can be at their best more of the time. Emily uses a ‘Clean’ approach to her work, which means that she facilitates exploration without assumptions, interpretations, or imposing her own ideas—creating space for people to uncover their own insights and solutions.
Her whole approach is about embodying autonomy, self-discovery, and trusting that neurodivergent people are the experts of themselves. She believes that safety, belonging, and freedom are fundamental to growth and wellbeing, ensuring that people feel seen, accepted, and empowered to be themselves without judgment or pressure to conform.
With a background in Forest School, she has seen firsthand how outdoor spaces provide vital opportunities for regulation, exploration, and connection. Her passion lies in creating inclusive spaces where differences are not just accepted but celebrated.

Mimi Eastell has a background in playwork and runs Wild Wood Wellbeing and Forest School, offering Forest School in schools and, as an alternative provision, Wild Women Circles and family sessions. Currently studying to be a Forest School trainer, her passion for plants and foraging matches her love of learning. She brings personal experience and professional expertise in autism, dyslexia, ADHD and OCD to her work, which has community building at its heart. Her son Harry's arrival drew her to the woods, where she says she had begun to find herself. Overcoming a history of bullying, depression, and feelings of disconnection, she discovered that being outdoors helped her feel more present and emotionally regulated. Nature became her medicine. This journey inspired her to become a Forest School leader, building communities and focusing on relationships, nature connection, and outdoor play's benefits. She is passionate about supporting families with young children and leads a team of neurodivergent practitioners working with teenage girls.

Andy Smith - Sadly, unable to join us in person this year, Andy's voice will still be present. His talk at the ‘Under One Tree’ conference brought his experiences growing up as an undiagnosed autistic child and teenager to the Forest School community. The honesty of his presentation blew our minds. His work as a SEND ambassador and advocate for autistic young people led him to set up the charity Spectrum Gaming, with other volunteers, during the pandemic to provide safe places for autistic children and young people where friendships can be made. Andy loves Forest School and will contribute resources and the voices of the young people he works with to our workshop.