Mindfulness-based InterventionsIndividuals with William's Syndrome can be characterized with having high levels of anxiety, difficulty focusing on certain tasks, and also face social challenges. Mindfulness-based interventions can help control these high levels of anxiety and assist with other challenges both children and adults with Williams Syndrome may encounter.
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Research Study
Nancy Miodrag & Miriam D. Lense (2012) conducted a study to teach and guide mindfulness-based interventions to adults who are diagnosed with Williams Syndrome. They used a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) design to measure the impact of anxiety, mood, and other behavioral problems while focusing on easing suffering and pain that accompanies those with Williams Syndrome. The intervention included measurements of saliva production, mood rating scales, and a child behavior checklist as well as self-reports and physiological impacts. With this being said, the independent variable being measured was the mindfulness-based instruction given, and the dependent variable measured was the levels of anxiety and mood that is exhibited by individuals with Williams Syndrome, after the intervention was taken place. The study was set in a camp setting where there was a set, daily schedule that involved periods of mindfulness-based intervention. The participants included 24 adults, both male and female, ranging from ages 16 to 40 years old. Results showed the cortisol levels decrease when in individual is involved in mindfulness-based interventions. In other words, mindfulness-based interventions proved to decrease levels of anxiety and mood, for the time being, in those with Williams Syndrome. Areas of future research suggested by the researchers encourage those to involve these types of interventions when measuring certain characteristics of this syndrome. The researchers also mention longer time periods for the intervention as well as placing the individuals not only in a social setting, but also in one-on-one environments.
Miodrag, Nancy, Miriam D. Lense, and Elisabeth M. Dykens. "A Pilot Study of a Mindfulness Intervention for Individuals with Williams Syndrome: Physiological Outcomes." Mindfulness 4.2 (2013): 137-47. PsycINFO. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.