Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Effects on Children Discussed at Caltech

PASADENA, Calif.-"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth grader. Is there a direct link between the lack of nature in the lives of today's youthful wired generation and some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as obesity, depression, and attention deficit disorder?

This is the issue addressed by Richard Louv, noted child advocate and author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Louv will speak about the effects of alienation from nature on children, families, and communities on Wednesday, April 12, at 7 p.m., in Ramo Auditorium at the California Institute of Technology. The event is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required.

Louv, a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, has written for national publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor, and has appeared on Good Morning America, Today, and NPR's Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation. He is the author of seven books about family, nature, and community.

The presentation is cosponsored by the Child Educational Center, Caltech, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and by Kidspace Children's Museum and the Chandler School, in recognition of Week of the Young Child, organized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

For more information, call the Caltech ticket office, (626) 395-4652.

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Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu

Visit the Caltech Media Relations website at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media