Exploring School-Based Contemplative Neuroscience Practices with At-Risk Early Elementary Students

Many children enter kindergarten with attentional, social-emotional, and behavioral difficulties linked to trauma or developmental factors, which impede self-regulation and school engagement. Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (I-MTSS) are widely used in schools but have not improved outcomes. Contemplative neuroscience shows that practices like breathing, stretching, and gratitude strengthen neural networks for positive mental health, especially during early childhood's heightened neuroplasticity. This paper argues for incorporating these practices into I-MTSS to help at-risk children build self-regulation and resilience. Further studies are needed on mindfulness interventions for self-regulation during early neural development.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Increasing percentages of children are entering kindergarten with clinically significant attentional, social-emotional, and behavioral difficulties associated with trauma, attachment, and/or other developmental factors (Rosen, 2023). These difficulties interfere with self-regulation and meaningful engagement in school. Without more intensive treatment during the early elementary years, many of these children will likely experience deleterious outcomes. Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (I-MTSS) have become a widely adopted, comprehensive service delivery framework in schools for enhancing academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes (National Center on Intensive Intervention, 2021). However, despite decades of I-MTSS training and technical assistance, system, grade, and student level outcomes have remained relatively stagnant. Therefore, it is critical that the extensive body of knowledge and empirical support associated with contemplative neuroscience make its way into I-MTSS models and the hands of school-based practitioners. Importantly, neuroscientific findings related to neuroplasticity and mind-body connectedness have shown that contemplative practices strengthen the neural networks associated with positive mental health (Luberto et al., 2018). Given the heightened advantage of neuroplasticity during early childhood development, practices such as breathing, stretching, and gratitude play a salient role in helping at-risk children cultivate improved levels of self-regulation toward resiliency (Fandakova & Hartley, 2020). This paper will explore the critical role of contemplative neuroscience within early elementary school-based prevention efforts. Further studies are needed to inform the impact of mindfulness intervention relative to the development of self-regulation and resilience during earlier stages of neural development.