Featured Speaker Dr. Peter Gray Discusses "Decline of Play and Rise in Children's Mental Disorders"

Dr. Peter Gray, research professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College, will present “The Decline of Play and Rise in Children's Mental Disorders” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, in the Living Legends Conference Center at Collin College Plano Campus. Admission is free, but online reservations are strongly encouraged.

Researchers believe free play is essential to developing children’s social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Dr. Gray contends that our society has shifted toward more structured and closely supervised activities for children, such as extended school hours and extracurricular activities. Not allowing children enough time to play may lead to increased stress levels, decreased creativity, and problems relating to others.

The decline in playtime has coincided with rising rates of mental disorders among children. These trends include anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dr. Gray postulates that this might be indicative of causation between them.

Dr. Gray will present his findings in a free talk sponsored by Collin College's Honors Institute and chapter of Psi Beta, the National Honor Society in Psychology for Two-Year Colleges. To RSVP for the event, visit https://collin.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9912821. For more information contact Professor Jennifer O'Loughlin-Brooks at jbrooks@collin.edu.

The Living Legends Conference Center is located on Collin College’s Plano Campus at 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano.

Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.