"Stop and just breathe for a minute": perspectives of children on the Autism Spectrum and their caregivers on a Mindfulness Group.

Only 10 children completed the outcome measures, so the study had too few participants to reliably detect small changes. There was no control group, so changes reported by families could also have come from maturing, medication, or school changes. The program included movement, yoga, breathing, meditation, and between-session practice, so the contribution of any single activity cannot be separated. The outcomes were self-report and did not include functional performance, adaptive behaviour, psychiatric comorbidity, or race and ethnicity. Parents were not trained in mindfulness and wanted more support to help children use strategies outside the group. Some children found the group setting hard because of noise, crowding, not knowing what to expect, or conflict with other members. The qualitative interviews included only 9 children and 10 caregivers, and not all children could be interviewed. All participants communicated verbally and none used alternative communication methods, so the group may not suit non-speaking or less verbal children. The study tested feasibility and experience, not effectiveness.

Do not read the interview reports of calm as proof that the group reduces anxiety. The anxiety, mindfulness, and wellbeing scores did not change significantly, the study had no control group, and parents noted other factors such as maturing, medication, and school changes.