Kids: Connection to nature lessens distress, hyperactivity and behavioral problems. A new 16-item parent questionnaire (CNI-PPC) to measure 'connectedness to nature' in very young children has been developed by Dr. Sobko and her collaborator Professor Gavin Brown, Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit at the University of Auckland. The results revealed that parents who saw their child had a closer connection with nature had less distress, less hyperactivity, and fewer behavioral and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behavior. Source 1w.