Meditating with children (with ADD)

stcornerprophet

My 10 year old little brother has recently been diagnosed with ADD and is taking concerta to treat it. He does ok in school, but he doesn't really like it, and he doesn't like doing his homework. I am almost positive that he only has a mild or moderate case of ADD. To be honest, I haven't talked much with my parents about it so I don't know all of his symptoms/what he is having difficulty with. I think having him sit in Indian style position and focus on his in and out breath would be the best method.

I want to try meditating with him to help him focus. I figure it would be helpful to do it with him for 5-10 minutes a couple times a week before he does his homework. I can gradually increase the time, and eventually have him progress to body scans, observation feelings etc. I have a few concerns though, first off, I think he will just find meditation boring and weird, so I need to convince him that it will help him concentrate and that it can even be fun. Secondly, I'm not sure what my parents will think of it. They are pretty strong Christians, and they know that I'm a Buddhist, however I'm not sure if they know that I have a meditation practice and I'm not sure how they will feel about me teaching my brother meditation. They might think that I am trying to convert or brainwash him. Is there any conclusive data that shows that meditation is beneficial to kids, or any other things I can mention to help convince my parents that meditation will help my brother to concentrate?

I'll continue to do research and contemplate these things, but any advice would be appreciated.

Vastmind

How does meditation help with ADD and ADHD? When we meditate, our brain waves slow down to alpha and theta waves and we become restful and deeply relaxed while at the same time becoming more alert and focused. By meditating regularly, our bodies increase their secretions of mood altering chemicals such as serotonin, which produces feelings of well being, happiness and contentment. Scientific research indicates that a lack of serotonin may contribute to clinical depression. Meditation has been found to improve concentration and creativity while providing relief for anxiety and stress, insomnia, migraines, chronic fatigue and ADHD. Regular, effective meditation also improves one’s quality of sleep and causes people to feel refreshed and rested.

Specifically, how effectively does meditation help ADD and ADHD? Very effectively, according to research on ADHD children conducted in 2004, at the Chelsea School in Silver Spring. The children meditated for 10 minutes, twice a day, while at school and once a day on the weekend. The results were evident within two or three months and were astounding. It was found that not only does meditation help with ADD and ADHD, it influences many aspects of their lives including:

Improving attention;
Improving impulse control;
Improving problem solving;
Improving organizational skills;
Improving academic performance;
Reducing stress, anxiety and anger.

Through meditation and Transcendental Meditation in particular, an ADHD child is given the gift of mental quietness. Thus does meditation helps ADD and ADHD powerfully and practically by helping sufferers to take control of their lives.

By Victoria Stansfield

Vastmind

My "hello" should have been first....
Hello

Jeffrey

Maybe you could show your parents how to meditate and ask them if it's ok to show your brother?

When I was 10 my aunt, who was reaching out to us cousins, bought us crystals and spoke to us. She was interested in alternative beliefs and ways and this was when she was interested in sending love through crystals. Not sure what my point was. But I am glad my aunt shared with me. She is dead now of cancer. My other aunt was furious at her for some reason; they both had their beliefs/superstitions.

Sile

There are public schools -- I think here in Wisconsin, in fact -- that have introduced non-religious meditation into the curriculum with outstanding results. I will get the articles for you, and I think it's a fantastic idea you've come up with for your little bro. If your parents see the public-school-supported literature it could help thm be less afraid. Various Christian schools also practiced forms of contemplation that come close to meditation - depending on how deeply fundamentalist your folks are this info could help (or hurt! What denomination are they?) Good for you for working with your bro - ideally you could even get him off the meds!

stcornerprophet

Thanks for the info/advice guys! Hey Vastminds, do you know if basic anapanasati would have much of a different result then transcendental meditation? I actually don't know much at all about TM, but I figure that I can give my brother tips about how to concentrate in school and during homework based on the mindfulness that anapanasati helps cultivate.

Sile, my dad is Catholic but my mom is a pretty devout Protestant. I think they would mostly be concerned with the esoteric aspect of meditation, I just need to convince them that it can simply help people increase their focus and awareness.

Vastmind

That was the particular mentioned by the author, but it might be best
to start very simple, especially with a 10 yr old.
Start with children's material......

"Moody Cow Meditates"
"Peaceful Piggy Meditation"

--Kerry Lee Maclean

( give me a few...Ill post some content for you)

person

You might be interested in this video. The presenter is Adele Diamond a developmental psychologist and a cognitive neuroscientist. The presentation focuses on the effects of attention training on children.



Or download it here:

http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts/post/63-mind-and-life-xviii---attention-memory-and-mind/2670

Vastmind

From "Moody Cow"....

My Grandfather was sitting in the sunroom on a meditation cushion,

"Now, let's see what happens when we let our thoughts settle down.....Just sit
quietly and see what happens", he said.

I sat up real straight, and then I got to ring the gong. Bongggggg.......

A few thoughts slowed down and sank to the bottom.....then a few more....
I was so still I could feel my heart beating.
It was so quiet I could hear my breath going in....and out....in....and out...



From:TEACHING MINDFULNESS TO CHILDREN
K aren E . H o o ker , P sy . D . &
I ris E . F o d o r , P h . D .

Once the child has practiced keeping awareness on the present moment by focusing
on their breath, the next step is to bring awareness to their thoughts and feelings.
Mindfulness training enables children to understand that they are the producers of their
thoughts, and that thoughts come and go and influence their feelings and actions.
One exercise to enhance awareness of how they are the producers of their own thoughts is
the following:

Close your eyes and say to yourself, I wonder what my next thought is
going to be. Then become very alert and wait for the next thought. Be like a cat watching
a mouse hole. What thought is going to come out the mouse hole?

Lady_Alison

If you make it into a game, I'm sure your brother would enjoy it...like, let's play scientist and see if we can catch ourselves thinking...idk...but I have to say, he is lucky to have someone like you.

Talk about brother's keeper.

Christians have meditation too. It's called prayer. And there is a new contemplative out reach movement in Catholicism.

Vastmind

Between @Sile getting the parent friendly material and I getting the
child material, you will be good to go !

May we all benefit from such loving intention.

Sile

There are tons more articles, but here's a start:

http://www.bmedreport.com/archives/31746

Sile

This is a great one:

http://kalwnews.org/audio/2011/02/10/time-out-quiet-time-meditation-comes-sf-schools_836458.html

Sile

And another: http://www.project-meditation.org/a_wim1/meditation_in_schools.html

One thing to (gently) point out, if the parents are worried or leery, is that meditation is already used in schools--ironically, most often in sports. It's just that it's not called "meditation."

Meditation has many components, of course, but a common one is visualization. Every time a coach says "be the ball" or "visualize the play" or "get your head in the game," what he's encouraging is meditation--in these cases, mostly the visualization component.

Any time a counselor tells an anger-prone student to "count to ten" before reacting, that's meditation. Basically anything that teaches you to control your mind, instead of having your mind control you, is meditation.

Sometimes if people realize that something isn't as radically new as they first thought, they're less likely to be fearful of it.