Educators, Students Say Method Works
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A D.C. area school is studying an alternative treatment to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and educators there say it’s working.
ADHD affects as many as 2 million children in the United States. The treatments vary but often include medication.
– Is TM a religion?
At Chelsea Academy in Silver Spring, Md., 10 students with ADHD are trying transcendental meditation.
The school is part of a three-month study to see if meditation can help the children overcome the stresses of their disorder.
“Transcendental meditation is a mental technique that allows the mind to settle down. When the mind settles down the body settles down,” said Dr. Sarina Grosswald.
Settling down is one of the problems of kids who suffer from ADHD. They often have difficulty focusing and paying attention.
“It’s frustrating when these children become behavioral problems but it’s not something they do intentionally. It’s something they really can’t control,” Grosswald said
At Chelsea, students in the pilot program gather twice a day to meditate. And they say it’s helping.
“It’s helping me do my homework and helping me with my relationship with my friends,” student Taylor David said.
“It’s helped me in not getting as frustrated with my work, not being disrespectful with my teachers and basically just being a normal teenager,” student Scott Schwartzman said.
The academic head of Chelsea Academy said the meditation program benefits the entire school.
“I see this as having tremendous impact for all our students. I’m excited about being able to take it to all of them,” said Dr. Linda Handy of Chelsea Academy.
The researchers presented the preliminary results of their study at a health and education conference in the D.C. on Wednesday.