Mindfulness has been defined as having three core aspects: active attention which leads to awareness, a regard for the present rather than the future or the past and an approach that is non-judgemental and accepting (Hooker and Fodor, 2008). Mindfulness has been used to treat adults and children in a clinical setting with presenting issues such as anxiety and difficulties related to poor self-regulation. The current research aimed to explore the effect of mindfulness on self-regulation and the feasibility of using mindfulness in a mainstream primary setting as a preventative, universal measure.The research used an exploratory, mixed methods design and included a comparison group. The intervention was developed collaboratively by the researcher and class teacher and included mindfulness activities taken from Mindfulness for Schools (Cattley and Lavelle, 2009). The children in the intervention group took part in a mindfulness activity 3-4 times a week for 8 weeks, in 10 – 15 minute sessions, straight after lunch.The qualitative data was obtained using semi-structured interviews and researcher observations. The semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis, provided information on the pupils’ and teacher’s perceptions of the intervention. Meanwhile, the researcher observations triangulated data on participant engagement as well as providing information on the fidelity of the intervention and formative feedback for the teacher. Observations and semi-structured interviews were also completed with the comparison class to establish the comparability of the two classes. Quantitative data was gathered using a self-regulation measure developed from questionnaires cited in Bandy and Moore (2010). The questionnaire was administered to both classes before and after the 8 week intervention to explore changes in self-regulation within and between groups. The data is reported using descriptive statistics and inferential parametric statistics.Both teacher and pupil interviews highlighted increased feelings of calm and levels of attention immediately following mindfulness activities. Data from the pupil interview suggested that the children involved in the intervention enjoyed many of the activities and were able to suggest times when they might find mindfulness activities useful. Information gathered from the interviews with the class teacher suggested that the development and delivery of mindfulness activities was appropriate and feasible in a mainstream, primary setting. While changes on the self-regulation scale could be considered positive, in that there was an overall decrease in mean scores in the intervention group, the decrease was not significant and so likely to be due to chance. In summary, the qualitative data indicated that mindfulness activities had a small but positive impact on the emotional, behavioural and cognitive awareness in a group of year 3 children in a mainstream primary setting. However, adapting mindfulness activities to make delivery feasible for a teacher in a mainstream primary setting may reduce the effectiveness of the intervention. Recommendations for EPs and future research are discussed.

Sensory integration based paediatric occupational therapists working in schools commonly function with a dual role of providing the child with therapy to assist the child to function optimally as well as act as consultants in assisting teachers to develop strategies to help promote the classroom performance of students with sensory processing difficulties. A single-group pre test post test quasi-experimental research design was used in this pilot study on a convenient sample of 11 participants to explore the effects before and after exposure to the intervention of a sensory diet on the in-seat behaviours of the child and determine whether the desirable sensory input is effective in improving the performance of children with sensory processing difficulties during a handwriting lesson. The behaviours showing the highest trend of improvement in the hypothesized direction included less distractibility and trend of work ethos related behaviours (not giving up easily and completing the task; being less impulsive, not working too fast, better planning; better able to initiate and carry tasks out independently). Trends of various in-seat behaviours (restless, overactive and fidgety, disorganized on self and in his work, difficulty in getting down to his work, slow to complete a task) to regress in the hypothesized direction were also noted. Descriptive and statistical analysis was performed to examine trends in changes of pre- and post-intervention behavioural scores. The data were also analysed using Poisson’s regression to the normal distribution to calculate p values (using a chisquared distribution) to compare the number of observations in a period of time intervals. Implications of the results of the study for therapists working with students with sensory processing difficulties and their teachers are discussed.

This study evaluated the impact of anxiety reduction on academic engagement for eight students experiencing significant anxiety in grades three through five. All participating students showed high anxiety levels that appeared to be impacting performance on at least one academic task in the classroom, according to teacher report. Student participants received a modified cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the form of five 20-minute sessions, in the school setting. Also as part of treatment participants completed exposure tasks, which involved the child participating in anxiety provoking academic tasks, with adult support. To assess whether or not anxiety was reduced, participants completed Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings several times weekly and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) both pre- and post-treatment. The Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) was used to monitor students’ academic engagement and was completed by the teacher. Results of this study show that this intervention, conducted in the school setting, has promising outcomes. The findings provide initial support that a modified anxiety treatment with adult support can be effective in reducing anxiety and increasing academic engagement.

The most common school-based interventions to prevent victimization from bullying use disciplinary methods and increase playground supervision. While enforcement approaches can prevent bullying, the effects are often short term and may lead to undesirable side effects. Thus, it seems a positive approach to increase prosocial behavior and prevent victimization is needed. This study evaluated the Actively Caring for People (AC4P) approach in four Southwest Virginia middle schools. Sixth and seventh grade students from two schools (n=209) participated in a five-week prosocial-focused curriculum, while 194 students served in the control group. All participants completed pre and post-test measures on their prosocial behavior performed and received, aggressive victimization and aggression performed, as well as bullying victimization and bullying performed to others. Linear regression and binary logistic regression were used to assess the impact of the Intervention. Follow-up moderator analyses were performed to assess the impact of Intervention Fidelity, Classroom Climate, Coaches' Entity Prosocial Mindset, and Role Model Perceptions. No intervention effects were observed and no moderators of the intervention were significant. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. / Master of Science

Les manifestations de stress semblent de plus en plus présentes chez nos jeunes. C’est pourquoi des interventions pouvant amener une réduction de stress sont pertinentes à intégrer dans nos écoles. Parallèlement, toujours avec le souci d’aider les jeunes dans leur réussite éducative, des interventions favorisant l’apprentissage et les performances académiques sont tout aussi importantes à intégrer dans nos réseaux éducatifs. L’activité physique et la méditation de pleine conscience semblent être des activités prometteuses à ces égards. L’objectif de cette recherche est de déterminer auprès de jeunes l’effet immédiat sur les performances cognitives et le stress perçu des interventions suivantes : 1- Quinze minutes d’activité physique; 2- Quinze minutes de méditation de pleine conscience; 3- Quinze minutes d’activité physique et de méditation de pleine conscience; 4- Quinze minutes d’écoute passive d’un documentaire. Pour ce faire, 82 participants ont été recrutés dans une école primaire de la région de Sherbrooke. Chaque participant a effectué chacune de ces conditions à une seule reprise. Pour mesurer les performances cognitives, les tests de Stroop et du Tracé ont été utilisés alors que le stress perçu a été mesuré à l’aide d’une échelle visuelle analogique. Une amélioration significative des performances cognitives a été remarquée pour les jeunes ayant performé sous la médiane lors de la condition témoin. De plus, toutes les interventions, y compris l’intervention témoin, ont engendré une réduction significative du stress perçu et aucune différence significative entre les interventions n’a été observée. Ces résultats soutiennent l’utilisation des interventions d’activité physique et de méditation de pleine conscience dans les écoles primaires. De plus, cette recherche répond à plusieurs critiques effectuées dans la littérature scientifique. En effet, les interventions comprenant de la pleine conscience ont été dans le cadre de cette étude standardisées et elles sont complètement reproductibles. Les participants ont aussi indiqué leur niveau d’appréciation ainsi que la fréquence à laquelle ils désireraient pratiquer de la méditation de pleine conscience. Finalement, ce projet de recherche innove en mesurant des effets immédiats chez les jeunes de l’intervention de méditation de pleine conscience en plus de combiner la pratique d’activité physique et celle de la méditation de pleine conscience.

The purpose of this research was to determine if a multi-component consultation intervention was effective in improving pragmatic performance in students with ADHD. Participants for this study consisted of 7 children for whom 3 data points were obtained by a parent or 2 data points by a teacher. Changes in pragmatic performance were measured by comparing reports provided by parents or teachers pre- and post- intervention. Descriptive analysis procedures were completed to summarize changes in pragmatic behavior. Results revealed the mean overall change in pragmatic behavior for children in the MCC condition (Χ=1.133) was greater than the change seen in the CAU condition (.334) after 2 months of intervention as per parent reported data. Data indicated improvement in each behavior but incongruence between teachers and parents was found. Results support the hypothesis that the multi-component consultation intervention is effective in improving the pragmatic language performance of children with ADHD.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第22538号 / 人博第941号 / 新制||人||224(附属図書館) / 2019||人博||941(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 PETERSON Mark, 准教授 中森 誉之, 准教授 勝又 直也, 教授 西山 教行 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

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