Mindfulness meditation programs, benefits, and outcomes were examined through research previously conducted and published by professionals within five differing disciplines: health and wellness, psychology, elementary education, exceptional education, and medicine. The goal was to find common themes within the differing disciplines in order to gather information about the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation program to be used in an elementary classroom. In this thesis, the chapter of Health and Wellness is a review of literature that tells the benefits found within meditators, which are not found within non-meditators. The chapter of Psychology explains the social-emotional needs of students, the causes of stress and anxieties amongst students, and the benefits that meditation provides in order to counter the negative effects of stress, anxiety, poverty, etc. The chapter of Elementary Education reviews research literature on the existing mindfulness meditation programs within the United States. This chapter also describes the implementation of such a program in an elementary school, as well as the documented data of the outcomes of the programs. The chapter of Exceptional Education is a review of the research literature on the benefits mindfulness meditation has on students with exceptionalities, such as specific learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. The chapter of Medicine is a retelling of previously published scholarly articles that list the neurological benefits of meditation, and also references the negative side effects to the currently prescribed medications that are being used in the treatment of ADHD.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two frequently co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions that share certain symptomatology, including social difficulties. This presents practitioners with challenging (differential) diagnostic considerations, particularly in clinically more complex cases with co-occurring ASD and ADHD. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study was to apply a data-driven machine learning approach (support vector machine) to determine whether and which items from the best-practice clinical instruments for diagnosing ASD (ADOS, ADI-R) would best differentiate between four groups of individuals referred to specialized ASD clinics (i.e., ASD, ADHD, ASD + ADHD, ND = no diagnosis). We found that a subset of five features from both ADOS (clinical observation) and ADI-R (parental interview) reliably differentiated between ASD groups (ASD & ASD + ADHD) and non-ASD groups (ADHD & ND), and these features corresponded to the social-communication but also restrictive and repetitive behavior domains. In conclusion, the results of the current study support the idea that detecting ASD in individuals with suspected signs of the diagnosis, including those with co-occurring ADHD, is possible with considerably fewer items relative to the original ADOS/2 and ADI-R algorithms (i.e., 92% item reduction) while preserving relatively high diagnostic accuracy. Clinical implications and study limitations are discussed.

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Practical Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans with a summary in Afrikaans and English / The motivation for this study was to use animal-assisted therapy to the advantage of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of therapeutic horse riding in Gestalt therapy and its influence on the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that present with Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. For the purpose of this study a quantitative research approach with a descriptive nature was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to compile information about a single child in a therapeutic milieu. This information was combined with information gathered from the literature to compile guidelines for the counsellor. In this study horse riding was effectively combined with Gestalt play therapy to enhance the awareness levels of the child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. / Die motivering van hierdie ondersoek was om diergefasiliteerde terapie tot voordeel van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom te benut. Die doel van die studie was om die benutting van terapeutiese perdry in Gestaltspelterapie en die invloed daarvan op die bewustheidsvlakke van die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom wat met Aandagafleibaarheid/hiperaktiwiteitsindroom presenteer te beskryf. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is kwalitatiewe navorsing met 'n beskrywende aard benut. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gebruik om inligting in te samel rakende 'n enkele kind in 'n terapeutiese milieu. Hierdie inligting is gekombineer met die inligting uit die literatuur ten einde riglyne vir die berader op te stel. In hierdie studie is perdry effektief by Gestaltspelterapie geintegreer om die kind met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom se bewustheidsvlakke te verhoog. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

Introduktion: ADHD är en uppmärksamhet -och hyperaktiv störning, där 90 % i Sverige behandlas med det farmakologiska läkemedlet Metylfenidat (MPH). En stor andel med ADHD utvecklar psykiatrisk komorbiditet i form av psykisk ohälsa (frånvaro av mentalt välbefinnande). Patofysiologin hur MPH påverkar hjärnan är okänd och behandlingsformen har diskuterats som bristfällig på grund av förekommande bieffekter. Fysisk aktivitet har föreslagits som ett hälsosammare behandlingsalternativ, då evidens visat att fysisk aktivitet kan förbättra ADHD-symptom och samsjuklighet av psykisk ohälsa. Det finns inga studier som undersökt hur individer med ADHD upplever nuvarande- och önskar behandling. Syftet med denna studie blev därför att undersöka upplevda erfarenheter av ADHD och hur det farmakologiska läkemedlet MPH och fysisk aktivitet upplevs ha påverkat diagnosens symptom och individernas psykiska hälsa samt att ta reda på vilken behandling individerna önskar utifrån deras livserfarenheter. Metoden utgick från ett fenomenologiskt ramverk med hjälp av en deskriptiv kvalitativ tvärsnittsstudie, där data extraherades genom en innehållsanalys med en induktiv ansats. Urvalet selekterades genom snöbollsurval, där inklusionskriteriet var att deltagarna blivit diagnostiserad med ADHD och har erfarenheter av MPH och fysisk aktivitet. Resultatet visade att symptom för ADHD var problematik med koncentration-, hyperaktivitet-, uppmärksamhet- och systematiska svårigheter, där symptom försämrat den psykiska hälsan. Det framgick att både MPH och fysisk aktivitet effektiviserade symptom mot koncentration, hyperaktivitet och uppmärksamhet, varav KBT (kognitiv beteendeterapi) förbättrade systematiska svårigheter. Vidare bidrog MPH med fysiska, mentala och beteendeföränderliga bieffekter som försämrade den psykiska hälsan. Fysisk aktivitet visade däremot förbättra den psykiska hälsan, där inaktivitet framgick som en central nackdel för förvärring av symptom och psykisk hälsa. Deltagarnas önskan var att behandling bör uppföljas och baseras på en överenskommelse som anpassas efter individuella svårigheter och hälsotillstånd. Slutsatsen med studien kom fram till att behandlas med fysisk aktivitet i kombination med KBT skulle vara hälsosammare som första behandling mot samtliga ADHD-symptom och psykisk hälsa. I andra hand var det deltagarnas önskan att applicera MPH vid akut behov, och är därav förslag att forska fram MPH som engångsbehandling som kan användas vid inaktiva tillstånd. Studien kom fram till att inkludering av fler idrottsvetenskapliga tjänster till vård och skola behövs för mer kompetens om vikten av fysisk aktivitet för individer som har ADHD. / Introduction: ADHD is an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, where 90% in Sweden is treated with the pharmacological drug Methylphenidate (MPH). People diagnosed with ADHD develop often psychiatric comorbidity in form of mental illness. The pathophysiology behind how MPH influence the brain is unknown and the treatment have been discussed as deficient due to side effects. Physical activity has been suggested as a healthier treatment option, as evidence shows that physical activity can improve ADHD-symptoms and comorbidity of mental illness. There are no studies that have invastigate how individuals with ADHD experience current- and desired treatment. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the experiences of having ADHD and how the pharmacological treatment MPH and physical activity has affected the symptoms and mental health, and also find out what treatment the individuals want based on their life experiences. The method was derived from a phenomenological framework using a descriptive qualitative cross-sectional study. Data was analyzed with an inductive approach using an interpretive analysis. Participants was recruited through a snowball selection, where the inclusion criteria stated that participants been diagnosed with ADHD and have experience of MPH and physical activity. The results showed that the frequent occurring symptoms of ADHD were difficulties with concentration-, hyperactivity-, attention- and systematic symptoms, where symptoms had shown a negative effect on the mental health. It appeared that both MPH and physical activity made symptom improvement against concentration-, hyperactivity- and attention difficulties, while CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) improved systematic difficulties. MPH contributed to side effects that affected physiological-, psychological- and behavioral aspects, which all were perceived to have a negative influence on mental health. In contrast, physical activity improved mental health and showed no evidence of side effects, except when physical activity was absent from daily life. Inactivity appeard to be a central disadvantage for worsening symptoms and mental health. The participants desired that their treatment should be tailored to individual difficulties and health condition in a collaborative way and with follow-up from the health care worker. The study concluded that physical activity in combination with CBT would be a healthier as first treatment option to reduce symptoms of ADHD and improve mental heatlh. Additionally, the participants desired treatment with MPH in form of single doses for urgent need, and it is therefore to suggest development of such treatment option. Furthermore, the study proposes more services for sport science within healthcare and schools for containing applicable knowledge in physical activity for dose with ADHD.