Mindfulness Training for Staff in a School for Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities: Effects on Staff Mindfulness and Student Behavior

Objectives Autism can create increased stress for the person with this diagnosis, as well as family members and other caregivers. Interventions are needed to reduce this stress and associated challenging behaviors. Methods This study examined the effects of a 12-week mindfulness training on staff and students in a school for children and adolescents with autism, cognitive delays, and behavioral challenges. Results Mindfulness training was associated with decreases in behavior rates for students in the classroom where staff took part in training and increases in self-reported mindfulness levels among members of the treatment group. These staff also reported decreased levels of stress from pretreatment to posttreatment periods. Such findings were not observed in a group of participants who did not take part in the training. Conclusions Mindfulness training for caregivers can affect challenging behaviors for children in their care and can lessen caregiver-perceived stress. Research limitations, implications of the results, and future directions for research are discussed.