RESEARCH ON THE AWARE PROGRAMS

Evaluation of the Aware Program for Teens with FASD

The Aware Program was rigorously evaluated with adolescents with FASD and their caregivers.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

What were the results?

Adolescents with FASD:

  • Improved executive functioning (e.g., thinking flexibility, self-control, memory)

  • Improved emotion regulation

  • Found the program to be:

    • Engaging
    • Informative
    • Enjoyable

  • Planned to use mindfulness skills in the future

Parents/caregivers:

  • Liked the program

  • Would recommend it to others

  • Found the resources easy to use and helpful

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract No. HHSN275201300008C.

Evaluation of the Aware Program for High School Students

A small pilot study was conducted in six high school classrooms.

What were the results?

  • High school students who participated in the Aware Program, compared to those that did not, experienced reductions in their aggressive behavior as reported by teachers.

  • Students, on average, reported that after participating in Aware, they were able to better pay attention and stop and think before acting.

  • Teachers, on average, reported that they enjoyed teaching the program and that it was easy to prepare and teach.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R43HD068093. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Research on Mindfulness by iRT Scientists

Parker, A. E. & Kupersmidt, J. B. (2016). Two universal mindfulness

education programs for elementary and middle school students: Master Mind and Moment. In K. Schonert-Reichl & R. Roeser(Eds). The Handbook of Mindfulness in Education: EmergingTheory, Research, and Programs (Vol. 1). (pp. 335-354). NewYork: Springer Press.

Parker, A., E., Kupersmidt, J. B., Mathis, E. T., Scull, T. M., & Sims, C.

(2014). The impact of mindfulness education on elementary school students: Evaluation of the Master Mind Program.Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, advance online publication, 10.1080/1754730X.2014.916497

Parker, A., E. (2014). [Review of the book Psychology of

Meditation, by N. N. Singh]. Journal of Child and Family Studies, Advance online publication, doi: 10.1007/s10826-014-9973-9

For additional information on research on mindfulness see the
American Mindfulness Research Association.