Mindfulness-Based Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents: Direct and Long-Term Improvements
Anna Ridderinkhof, Esther I. de Bruin, René Blom, Susan Maria Bögels
Mindfulness October 5, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0815-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post follow-up study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Children referred with autism spectrum disorder aged 8 to 19 years and their parents |
| Duration | Pre-intervention, post-intervention, 2-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 145 |
| Key points | Children with autism spectrum disorder and their parents showed improvements after a parallel mindfulness-based program: children's social communication problems decreased and emotional and behavioral functioning improved, with children's gains largest at 2 months and only partly maintained at 1 year, while parents reported children's improvements at all occasions. Parents reported improved emotional and behavioral functioning, parenting, and mindful awareness at all occasions, though their social communication problems decreased only directly after the intervention. |
Abstract
A combined mindfulness-based program for children and their parents (MYmind) was beneficial for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we investigated whether this program is also beneficial for younger children with ASD, whether effects last on the long-term, and whether it reduces common comorbid problems. Forty-five children referred with ASD aged 8 until 19 years old, and their parents participated. Repeated measures of children's and parents' social communication problems, emotional and behavioral functioning, mindful awareness, and of parenting were conducted pre-intervention, post intervention, 2-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-up. While children did not report significant changes in mindful awareness, their social communication problems decreased, and their emotional and behavioral functioning improved. Results were not consistent at each occasion; improvements reported by children were most substantial at a 2-month follow-up and only partly remained at a 1-year follow-up, while all children's improvements as reported by parents were present on all occasions. Parents themselves reported improved emotional and behavioral functioning, improved parenting, and increased mindful awareness on all occasions. Parents' social communication problems reduced only directly after the intervention. Most improvements were supported by the qualitative investigation of children's and parents' experienced change as reported on open-ended questions. This study suggests that children, including adolescents, with ASD and their parents can benefit from a mindfulness-based program with parallel sessions for children and parents.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 24
- Attention in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Program Journal of Attention Disorders September 15, 2018
- Mindfulness for children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting (MindChamp): Protocol of a randomised controlled trial comparing a family Mindfulness-Based Intervention as an add-on to care-as-usual with care-as-usual only BMC Psychiatry July 25, 2018
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review. Brain Sciences September 30, 2024
- The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for children with autism and their parents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Pilot randomized controlled trial of MINDful TIME, a novel telehealth mindfulness-based intervention for autistic adolescents and their caregivers. Autism July 1, 2025
and 19 more in the library
Cites 14
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology's (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 2011
- Standardised Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of RCTs PLoS One April 16, 2015
and 9 more in the library