Put as simply as possible, an enriched environment means that there are a lot of interesting things to do and engage with. One sentence isn’t much of an article though so let’s look at this a little more deeply, but remember this simple explanation of an enriched environment as we do.
What is the Environment?
Those in the field of ABA use the term environment a little differently; when an ABA practitioner uses it, they mean everything (or stimulus) that an individual comes into contact with and even includes things like a person’s body sensations and thoughts. Humans interact with their environment all day, from turning on the sink, to choosing, making, and eating breakfast, to listening to the radio. Let’s look at an example of a common environment and talk about it behaviourally.
Imagine a park. There can be swings, slides, see-saw’s, climbing bars, poles, anything you want to imagine. The park as an environment includes many things, what a behaviourist might call “stimuli”. All of the things in the park also have their own characteristics. You can see a slide, what a behaviourist might call a “visual stimulus”. You can touch a slide, and sense its qualities, what a behaviourist might call a “tactile stimulus”. If you put in some effort to climb the steps and slide down, you get a sensation of movement in your body, what a behaviourist might call a “sensory stimulus”. You can make a plan about what you want to do in the park and talk to yourself in your mind about it, what a behaviourist might call a “private event”. Behaviourists consider all of these things to be part of a person’s environment.
Humans tend to experience their environment a few ways;
Motor
Humans can use their body to interact with their environment. You can sit on a swing and push myself. You can pick up a fishing pole and bait and cast it. You can swim in the ocean or walk on the sand. Humans tend to prefer to do things with their body that challenge them without being too difficult. It is also important to note that different people like to do different things and like different levels of challenge.
Cognitive
Humans also use their mind to interact with their environment. You can make a plan for dinner. You can make a plan for college. You can see a problem in your environment and make a plan to solve it. You can solve a word find. Humans tend to prefer mental tasks that are new and challenging, but not too difficult. Different people like to use their minds in different ways and like different levels of challenge.
Sensory
Humans experience their environment. Everything we do makes us feel something. When you take in a deep breath. When you twirl your hair. When you eat a big meal. When you shout for joy. When you shout in anger. These things we feel in our bodies can either be pleasant or unpleasant. Humans tend to do things that feel pleasant to them and avoid things that feel unpleasant to them. What each person finds pleasant or unpleasant varies from person to person.
Enriching the Environment: Why Bother?
Hopefully by this point some of the benefits of an enriched environment are clear, but is it worth the extra effort? Scientists in the fields of ABA and Neuroscience have studied the effects of an enriched environment and have found that it can improve health outcomes and reduces stress (Francis, et al., 2002).
How Do I Enrich My Environment?
To enrich an environment means to fill it up with a variety of new and favorite challenging things to engage with, either with our bodies or our minds. This can look all sorts of ways, but for now just think about your favorite place to be entertained. What makes that place so entertaining? It probably has many things to engage with that are either new, or pleasantly familiar and you know exactly how to do the things you like best there. You can use that place as a very basic template for what an enriched environment looks like.
An enriched environment is a place where you are known, can feel safe, and have a lot of opportunities to do and experience things that you like. It can take some experimentation to find out the right activities and the right balance for each person, but the work is well worth it. Here are some tips;
Making Old Things New
One way to enrich the environment is to engage with old things in new ways, or to show a person something they didn’t know about a thing they like. Let’s look at some examples;
Have you ever made a space-ship out of a washer box? Built something new with LEGOs or blocks? Picked up something that wasn’t a telephone and pretended to talk on it? All are examples of enriching the environment by using familiar things in new ways.
Have you ever taught someone how to do something? Tie their shoes, log in at work, or make a sandwich? The interaction between 2 people while learning something new, or something new about something old, can be a very rewarding and enriching experience for both the student and the teacher.
Being a Sportscaster/Cheerleader
Another way to enrich the environment is to fill it up with interesting and supportive language. Essentially you become a narrator for the person you are taking care of. Let’s return again to the example of going to a park. You can describe what the person is doing as they do it, and make it fun and interesting. It is an opportunity to be the narrator of the person’s story. For example if the person is playing on the slide, you can enrich the environment by saying, “I can see you climbing up the slide! You are so fast! And… Whoosh there you go down the slide! Wow, you look like you are having fun.”
Wrapping Up
The main idea is that you provide interesting and pleasant options in the person’s environment and then engage with the person in some of the activities. You act as a sort of narrator and guide as they experience the different things their environment has to offer. It is very rewarding to enter into someone’s world and show them all of the wonderful and interesting things about it. Good luck enriching!
References
Francis, D. D., Diorio, J., Plotsky, P. M., and Meaney, M. J. Environmental Enrichment Reverses the Effects of Maternal Separation on Stress Reactivity,
Journal of Neuroscience, 15 September 2002, 22 (18) 7840-7843; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.22-18-07840.2002