Investigation of horticultural therapy for children with special needs, Malatya Dora Special Education and Rehabilitation Center

Horticultural therapy is a professionally conducted, client-centered treatment modality that uses gardening activities to meet specific therapeutic or rehabilitative goals for participants, with the focus being on maximizing their social, cognitive, physical, and/or psychological functioning, or improving general health and wellness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Horticultural Therapy (HT) in children with learning disabilities who were particularly sensitive to the effects of HT. The study was conducted at the Dora Special Education Center, located on the İnönü University campus in Malatya, with children aged 4–18 years old with learning disabilities. The intervention group received HT sessions once a week for six weeks with 45 students, while the control group received no intervention. The HT process consisted of planting seedlings and flowers, sensory activities, bean seed planting, and terrarium activities. Data were assessed using scientific, motor, attention- memory, language, and socialized observation forms. Data were collected using a pretest- posttest method and analyzed with SPSS. Analyses revealed significant improvements in grouped reading, writing, attention-memory, native language, and language using HT, and increased overall observation scores (p<0.05). In conclusion, HT strengthened certain techniques and emotional skills of individuals experiencing particular stress and determined their social adaptation. The findings obtained in the study suggest that the method can be used as a combinable tool in special education.