The utilization of school based mindfulness to prevent anxiety in adolescents with disabilities

The literature review in this doctoral project explores stress and anxiety, its impact on youth with and without disabilities, and approaches to prevent this potentially debilitating human condition. It also provides empirical and theoretical support for the infusion of mindfulness within the schools to prevent stress and anxiety in youth with disabilities. With the information reviewed in this doctoral project, school psychologists and educators may begin to consider using a school based anxiety prevention program for students with disabilities utilizing a mindfulness approach. In order to begin infusing mindfulness into the school, this doctoral project includes a product consisting of a series of workshops for school psychologists with a background in mindfulness to present to other school psychologists, to high school educators who serve adolescents with mild disabilities, and to parents of adolescents with mild disabilities. It is important to note that the focus of this doctoral project is addressing anxiety in youth before it reaches significantly maladaptive levels and does not focus on youth who have existing anxiety disorders.