Mindfulness as a Strategy in Child Stimulation and Rehabilitation

The chapter addresses the topic of mindfulness as an increasingly popular practice involving intentional attention in the present moment. Cultivating mindful attention can help reduce stress and improve cognitive skills. With children, mindfulness practice aims to develop their ability to pay attention to internal and external experiences. In the chapter, the authors presented the benefits of mindfulness for cognitive development, emotional regulation, mental well-being, and academic performance in children, as well as studies on the effects of mindfulness in clinical settings, with positive results in symptom reduction and overall functioning in children. The authors also point out that in the school environment, mindfulness-based interventions have shown improvements in mood, reduction of depression symptoms, and increased focus and concentration in students. However, caution is needed in interpreting the results due to methodological limitations and a lack of long-term studies. More research is needed to provide more reliable evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions. The chapter suggests that future studies should clarify the most effective practices and the dose needed to obtain desired results.