Mindfulness and Autism
A fairly recent study shows a 'mindfulness' program for autistic children and their parents provides a direct and long-term improvements.
Mindfulness is defined as a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
For Muslims and Christians who pray, an element of mindfulness is naturally infused in one's prayer. Another way I can describe it is when we take time to reflect on our conscious existence and our existence in relation to the natural environment and with other human beings around us.
I always think about myself, the environment and the people around me, what is the big deal about a mindfulness program?
The difference is that when you practice mindfulness on a routine basis, taking time from your day to actually meditate or pray, you become more mindful throughout your day.
To put this in perspective, have you ever had an interaction with a person that was not as friendly as you would have liked it to be? After having an opportunity to reflect you may re-approach that person to apologize or to make the relationship more peaceful.
What if your always busy with your work, school, or other tasks or social responsibilities, you may miss that opportunity to reflect, whereas when you designate time on a routine basis you are always having that opportunity to think about your emotions, your existence, and your relations with others.
Thus, setting a time on a regular basis to reflect with oneself, one become more mindful throughout their day and through-out their life.
What is Autism? Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood and remains throughout adult life. It is characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.
Fundamental to human development at many levels is the human ability to read minds and predict other peoples' intentions, this requires a specialized network of neurons in the frontal cortex of the brain called the 'mirror system'. These neurons are active when one performs a certain task but also when one observes the same task performed by others. From this, the brain forms a theory of the another person's mind using one's own experience, which enables imitation learning, empathy towards other human beings, and plays a critical role in the formation of language.
Imitation is an early milestone in child development, and impaired socialization and lack of imitative play in children with autism are among the diagnostic criteria for the disability. In autism, this network of neurons is underdeveloped, resulting in deficient copying skills and the inability to recognize and interpret of minds of other persons.
A child's autism diagnosis affects every member of the family in different ways. Parents/caregivers must now place their primary focus on helping their child with autism, which may put stress on their marriage, other children, employment, finances, and personal relationships and responsibilities.
As much as we need to cope and treat the child's autism, equally important is treating the parents added stress and their overall mental health. In a recently published study at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam, which followed forty-five children with autistic spectrum disorders from the age of 8 through the age of 19 to see the effectiveness of a mindfulness program on both the parents and the autistic child who preformed mindfulness programs along with their parents.
The study showed parents had an improvement in emotional and behavioral functions, improvement in the effectiveness of their parenting, specifically, over-activity and stress about their competence in parenting were decreased. Also, the parents' mindful awareness, as described in the mindfulness definition above also increased. Surprisingly, the autistic child did not report significant changes in mindful awareness, however, what is significant is that the child's social communication problems decreased, and their emotional and behavioral functioning improved, which included their internalizing, externalizing, attention problems, rumination, stress, and emotional well-being.
Preforming a mindfulness exercise with an autistic child can be a challenge because of the inherent limitations in the child's ability to mirror the parents. Forcing anyone, albeit a child with autism, to pray or meditate in all likelihood will fail. However, if the parents approach the mindfulness exercise in a manner that is part of the parent's natural household order and part of the parents daily life and activity, they will set an environment that is naturally conducive to encourage mindfulness by the autistic child on his own.
For example, when it's time to meditate or pray, all the distractions such as electronic devises and televisions are turned off, the lighting is reduced, and all toys are put away; creating a certain time during the day where both the parent and the child are availing themselves the opportunity to be in a peaceful and quiet environment to self reflect and be mindful.
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Annahar
a day ago
- Annahar
Mindfulness and Autism
A fairly recent study shows a 'mindfulness' program for autistic children and their parents provides a direct and long-term improvements. Mindfulness is defined as a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. For Muslims and Christians who pray, an element of mindfulness is naturally infused in one's prayer. Another way I can describe it is when we take time to reflect on our conscious existence and our existence in relation to the natural environment and with other human beings around us. I always think about myself, the environment and the people around me, what is the big deal about a mindfulness program? The difference is that when you practice mindfulness on a routine basis, taking time from your day to actually meditate or pray, you become more mindful throughout your day. To put this in perspective, have you ever had an interaction with a person that was not as friendly as you would have liked it to be? After having an opportunity to reflect you may re-approach that person to apologize or to make the relationship more peaceful. What if your always busy with your work, school, or other tasks or social responsibilities, you may miss that opportunity to reflect, whereas when you designate time on a routine basis you are always having that opportunity to think about your emotions, your existence, and your relations with others. Thus, setting a time on a regular basis to reflect with oneself, one become more mindful throughout their day and through-out their life. What is Autism? Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood and remains throughout adult life. It is characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. Fundamental to human development at many levels is the human ability to read minds and predict other peoples' intentions, this requires a specialized network of neurons in the frontal cortex of the brain called the 'mirror system'. These neurons are active when one performs a certain task but also when one observes the same task performed by others. From this, the brain forms a theory of the another person's mind using one's own experience, which enables imitation learning, empathy towards other human beings, and plays a critical role in the formation of language. Imitation is an early milestone in child development, and impaired socialization and lack of imitative play in children with autism are among the diagnostic criteria for the disability. In autism, this network of neurons is underdeveloped, resulting in deficient copying skills and the inability to recognize and interpret of minds of other persons. A child's autism diagnosis affects every member of the family in different ways. Parents/caregivers must now place their primary focus on helping their child with autism, which may put stress on their marriage, other children, employment, finances, and personal relationships and responsibilities. As much as we need to cope and treat the child's autism, equally important is treating the parents added stress and their overall mental health. In a recently published study at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam, which followed forty-five children with autistic spectrum disorders from the age of 8 through the age of 19 to see the effectiveness of a mindfulness program on both the parents and the autistic child who preformed mindfulness programs along with their parents. The study showed parents had an improvement in emotional and behavioral functions, improvement in the effectiveness of their parenting, specifically, over-activity and stress about their competence in parenting were decreased. Also, the parents' mindful awareness, as described in the mindfulness definition above also increased. Surprisingly, the autistic child did not report significant changes in mindful awareness, however, what is significant is that the child's social communication problems decreased, and their emotional and behavioral functioning improved, which included their internalizing, externalizing, attention problems, rumination, stress, and emotional well-being. Preforming a mindfulness exercise with an autistic child can be a challenge because of the inherent limitations in the child's ability to mirror the parents. Forcing anyone, albeit a child with autism, to pray or meditate in all likelihood will fail. However, if the parents approach the mindfulness exercise in a manner that is part of the parent's natural household order and part of the parents daily life and activity, they will set an environment that is naturally conducive to encourage mindfulness by the autistic child on his own. For example, when it's time to meditate or pray, all the distractions such as electronic devises and televisions are turned off, the lighting is reduced, and all toys are put away; creating a certain time during the day where both the parent and the child are availing themselves the opportunity to be in a peaceful and quiet environment to self reflect and be mindful.
Nahar Net
04-06-2025
- Nahar Net
No kids, excess heat and payment plans: What to know about Hajj 2025
by Naharnet Newsdesk 04 June 2025, 13:03 Muslims from around the world are in the Saudi city of Mecca for the Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. In the coming days, people will immerse themselves in religious rituals and acts of worship that originated more than 1,400 years ago. They also have to contend with excess heat and other earthly factors, like a ban on children under the age of 12 and a crackdown on unauthorized entry. Here's what to know about this year's Hajj: Beating the heat in the Saudi desert Last year's pilgrims struggled through burning sun and suffocating hot weather, with the mercury hitting 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit). More than 1,300 people died. This year, Saudi authorities are advising caution in direct sunlight, telling pilgrims to avoid going out during the day and uncovering their heads, except for rituals, unless necessary. An official safety kit emphasizes the importance of light-colored clothing and umbrellas. It also has details on recognizing and treating the symptoms of dehydration and heat exhaustion. But it's tough to avoid the heat and crowds when the Hajj is outdoors. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many, elevating the personal stakes further, and temperatures in Mecca are already 41 degrees Celsius (about 106 Fahrenheit). Although the desert kingdom spends billions of dollars on crowd control and cooling, the sheer number of pilgrims and climatic conditions make it difficult to guarantee people's safety. A ban on children under 12 at the Hajj Saudi Arabia has banned children under 12 from this year's Hajj — one of the biggest policy changes in recent years. Riyadh reportedly introduced the ban as a precautionary measure to ensure children's safety during the pilgrimage, which could be a dangerous environment for them because of the huge crowds. Children are exempt from doing the Hajj and are not required to fulfill other Islamic obligations, like prayer and fasting, until they reach puberty. But that doesn't stop some parents from wanting to take their children to experience the Hajj and see the holiest site in Islam, the Kaaba, the black, cube-shaped structure that is the focal point for daily prayers. Father of five Talha Ayub, from the Pakistani city of Lahore, said his kids were staying with their grandparents while he and his wife performed the Hajj in a "more relaxed way." "Even if children were allowed, we probably wouldn't have taken them because the weather is extremely harsh this year," said Ayub, whose children are aged 1 to 13. "I have mixed feelings about leaving them behind. I'll miss them." There's no official age breakdown for pilgrims, but most are between 35 and 64. 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He paid in three installments, applying for the Hajj in December with an advance and finishing his payments in February. "Otherwise, I might not have been able to go for Hajj at all," he said. In Saudi Arabia, which has also introduced flexible payments, domestic pilgrims pay 20% within 72 hours of booking, another 40% during Ramadan and the final 40% the following month. Managing wait times and overcrowding Although the Hajj is at least a once-in-a-lifetime obligation — for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it — people don't want to wait a lifetime to fulfill it. But the Hajj has limited capacity, countries have set quotas, and there is only one time each year to do it. Patience really is a virtue and everything needs to align: availability, health, and finances. Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have decades-long waiting lists for the Hajj. Indonesia has 5.4 million people awaiting their turn, with the number increasing each year. While there is nothing to stop people from performing the Hajj more than once, some governments believe this practice deprives others of the opportunity, especially in countries where demand is high. India has a ban on "repeaters" and excludes applications from anyone who has previously performed the pilgrimage through the national Hajj committee, although there are exceptions from those accompanying certain categories of people like the elderly. With a restricted supply of Hajj spaces, it's inevitable that people will try to find ways to get to the holy city and stay there. In April, to curb unauthorized Hajj pilgrimages and control inbound travel, Saudi Arabia suspended the issue of short-term visas for 14 countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco. People have in the past traveled to Saudi Arabia on short-term visas and entered Mecca without official permission for the Hajj. Authorities said that many of those who died in the heat during last year's Hajj were unregistered and unable to access air-conditioned pilgrim amenities. The Interior Ministry warned in May that a fine of up to 20,000 riyals, or about $5,330, would be imposed on anyone attempting to enter Mecca during the Hajj without the correct visa.
Nahar Net
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- Nahar Net
Hezbollah hails the late pope over his stances on Palestine
by Naharnet Newsdesk 22 April 2025, 12:03 Hezbollah has offered condolences over Pope Francis' death to the Christians of the world and Lebanon, hailing the late pontiff's "clear positions calling for an end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip... and his support for the Palestinian cause." President Joseph Aoun has meanwhile called Francis' death "a loss for all humanity, for he was a powerful voice for justice and peace" who called for "dialogue between religions and cultures." Multi-confessional Lebanon has announced three days of official mourning. Francis died at the age of 88. He had suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man. He was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
