Effects of Meditation on the Soles of the Feet on the Aggressive and Destructive Behaviors of Chinese Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Nigela Ahemaitijiang, Xiao-Yi Hu, Xuan Yang, Z. Han
Mindfulness November 9, 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-019-01246-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-case experimental design (multiple-baseline across participants) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3 |
| Population | Three Chinese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers |
| Intervention | foundational meditation practice |
| Measures | weighted average Tau-U |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The Meditation on the Soles of the Feet practice, taught by mothers to their adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, produced a very strong reduction in verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and destructive behaviors across all three participants, according to visual analysis and weighted average Tau-U scores. Mothers rated the practice as socially valid. The authors conclude it is an effective self-management practice in a Chinese context but call for further validation. |
Abstract
Objectives: Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display a variety of verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and destructive behaviors. Meditation on the Soles of the Feet ( SoF ) as an informal mindfulness-based practice has been effective in managing aggressive behaviors in adolescents with ASD. The aim of this study was to assess its effectiveness and social validity in a Chinese context.
Methods: Mothers of three Chinese adolescents with ASD were taught a basic foundational meditation practice, followed by instructions in the SoF practice. Once proficient in these two practices, the mothers taught their adolescents with ASD to use SoF for triggers of their aggressive and destructive behaviors. The mothers rated the social validity of the SoF practice.
Results: Visual analysis and weighted average Tau-U scores across participants showed that the SoF practice had a very strong effect on reducing the verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and destructive behaviors of the three adolescents.
Conclusions: Data regarding effectiveness and social validity indicated that the SoF practice was effective and socially valid as a self-management practice for aggressive and destructive behavior of adolescents with ASD. Further studies of the SoF practice are needed to validate its effectiveness for Chinese children with ASD.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training for Treating Binge Eating Disorder: The Conceptual Foundation Eating Disorders December 21, 2010
- Effectiveness of Caregiver Training in Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support (MBPBS) vs. Training-as-Usual (TAU): A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology October 6, 2016