Mindfulness training improved attention and executive function in children with borderline intellectual functioning and mild intellectual disability. Thirty children with borderline intellectual functioning, aged 7 to 9 years, received 24 sessions of mindfulness training, while a comparison group of 30 children of the same age range received no training. After training, the mindfulness group showed significantly higher scores than the control group on measures of inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and overall executive function.
An 8-week school-based meditation program that included chanting and meditation improved executive functions in school-age children. Twenty-five children who participated in the program showed greater gains than 25 children in a control group on tests of working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. Specifically, the meditation group had faster reaction times on a working memory task, more correct responses on an inhibition task, and better performance on multiple measures of cognitive flexibility. The findings suggest that a school-based meditation program incorporating chanting can enhance executive functions in children.