 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Neil Korostoff, MLA, Department of Landscape Architecture, The Pennsylvania State University, Room 210 Engineering Unit D, University Park, PA 16802, 814-863-8134, npk1@psu.edu
The diagnosed incidence of attention deficit and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADD and ADHD) has increased recently. Diagnosis often occurs when learning and behavioral problems arise during primary school. Intervention and treatment emphasize medication and special education. Coincidentally, perhaps, the increasingly urbanized American population has diminished opportunities to experience natural environments. Attention recovery theory (ART) proposes that the directed attention demand of the urban environment contributes to the fatigue of attention capacity. Recovery from fatigue is enhanced by effortless attention, or fascination. Natural environments are rich in opportunities for fascination and attention recovery. Primary school grounds vary widely in regard to the presence of and access to natural elements such as trees, shrubs, water, and soil. Do students in primary schools with greater schoolyard access to natural elements exhibit lower diagnosed rates of ADD and ADHD? Of those so diagnosed is the severity and need for conventional treatment affected by access to natural environments? A set of primary schools will be analyzed and ranked according to availability of and access to natural environments during recess, lunch, and other outdoor periods. School records will be examined to determine the number and severity of students diagnosed with ADD and ADHD in each school. Results may inform mental health treatment, special education, and influence primary school design decisions. Methods, conclusions, and questions for further research will be discussed. Participants will gain new knowledge about the role of natural environments in the prevention and treatment of ADD and ADHD in primary school settings.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child/Adolescent Mental Health, Children With Special Needs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: none
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.