AMS2022 Learning Session
Mindfulness and ADHD An Integrated Approach to Care
Mindfulness means living more fully aware of what is happening right now, along with an unbiased perspective towards whatever we experience – but is much more practical than that wordy definition. We practice settling, seeing our lives clearly – and making more practical and precise choices in how we live. Pop trends spin mindfulness as a quick fix or liken it to ringing a classroom bell, yet the true depth of the practice fundamentally changes how we relate to everyday challenges. Mindfulness enhances moment-to-moment planning, problem-solving and emotional abilities, and most importantly can be developed through practice. Through building those traits, research suggests practical benefits for anyone struggling with ADHD. Mindfulness can be life-changing, helping people with ADHD manage stress and reactivity that undermines care, allowing for more flexible and objective decisions, and building an ability to sustain new habits – all of which are vital in overcoming this complex medical disorder of self-management.
Key Takeaways:
1. To define mindful care as an approach that builds self-awareness and emotional awareness, leading to relationship-centered, compassionate and successful care.
2. To describe ways mindful care incorporates into treatment of ADHD across lifespan.
3. To describe research regarding potential benefits of direct training in mindfulness meditation to foster self-regulation and executive function with and without ADHD.
4. To demonstrate basic mindfulness exercises that can be immediately incorporated into a daily practice.
5. To outline accessible steps providers and families can take to be more mindful in approaching ADHD management.
Mark Bertin. M.D.
Dr. Bertin is a developmental paediatrician and author of How Children Thrive and Mindful Parenting for ADHD and Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD, which integrate mindfulness into paediatric care, and a contributing author for Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens. Dr. Bertin is on faculty at NY Medical College and the Windward Teacher Training Institute, on the board of directors for APSARD, the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders, and on the advisory boards of Common Sense Media and Reach Out and Read. His blog can be found through Mindful.org and Psychology Today, and through his website www.developmentaldoctor.com.