An Examination of the Implicit Need for the Equitable Application of Mindfulness Interventions with Special Education Students

Abstract

Mindfulness interventions hold tremendous potential for benefits to students in K-12 classrooms. Psychological and educational professionals are enthusiastic about the practice. As a result, there is a seemingly inexhaustible number of mindfulness techniques and practitioners readily available for implementation in school settings. Special education students with IEP’s arguably have the greatest need for such interventions due to the comorbid maladaptive behaviors that these students often exhibit. In this paper, I analyze a sample of 10 mindfulness organization websites examining their claims, applications, and attention given to special education needs. In this content analysis I observed a gap between the excitement for mindfulness interventions and the equitable application of these interventions to special education students