ADHD improved in 9th Grader

'Vinay' (name changed), a 9th grader with ADHD (later on he was diagnosed with high functioning autism), attended 8 of my classes in counting breaths meditation, over 5 months. He was attending special classes at school. His class performance was reported to be very good. His mom was averse to medication and wanted to try ‘meditation on breathing’ and related techniques to help improve his symptoms. He was my first client with ADHD. Vinay, his mom, and his younger brother, in 6th Grade, attended the first 5 classes. Then he continued with solo classes on meditation. A summary of his case follows.

What were his problems?

Anxiety, Anger, Impatience, Stress, Lack of focus, Nervousness, Frustration, Uncontrolled laughter, and Lack of eye contact.

What modes of meditation did he practice?

First, I introduced the basic modes of ‘meditation on breathing’. He liked them, but the restless movements of his body and uncontrolled laughter did not show much reduction. On a hunch, I introduced the ‘Dynamic modes of meditation on breathing’ as an experiment. He liked these techniques a lot and practiced them on his own, without prompting from his mom.

When did he practice the meditation?

Bedtime, waking up, waiting, stressed, walking, tired

His mom’s assessment of his improvements.

Anxiety: Reduced by 60%

Impatience: Reduced by 50%

Focus: Improved by 70%

His younger brother's assessment

His younger brother, in 6th grade, reported his impressions with the permission of his mother.

Anxiety: Decreased a little  

Patience: Before - He couldn’t wait. Now - He entertains himself doing the 911 mode of meditation and enjoys it.

Focus: Before - He couldn’t make eye contact. His head always faced the window. Now - This is slowly decreasing.

Frustration: Before - When he was mad, he yelled and was out of control. Now - This is slowly decreasing.

He does some chanting/ prayers taught to him by his grandma. He has been taking 1000 mg of EPA+DHA per day in the form of Fish oil on my suggestion.

I added the waking up routine and simple stretching and moving based on Yoga to his daily routines.

Dec 2013

Updates

Feb 9, 2014

His mom said that in the recent PTA meeting with his math teacher, she said that his focus improved, and he could be placed in a regular class instead of the special class next year.

April 19, 2014

During the class 2 weeks back, his mom said his behavior was sometimes out of control at home. He was in the habit of pinching her and his younger brother and apologizing soon after. But he did nothing of that kind at school or outside. I told her privately that his behavior at school showed he had enough self-awareness and self-control with other people. I advised her that when he pinched her next time, she should immediately tell him calmly and firmly, “I don’t like to be pinched”. She should not get angry, blame him, or comment on him at all.

Today, when I called her to know how this new response to his pinching was working, she said his pinching was drastically reduced, and she was happy for this improvement.

10 years later, from June 2024

I resumed working with Vinay, along with his mom and sisters. The family sessions helped improve the interactions between the family members.  Practices were introduced to let him express his thoughts and feelings in writing. He started practicing 'counting breaths meditation' and gentle yoga stretching. There has been a visible improvement in his overall behavior, acknowledged by his family members.  

From August 2025, I have been meeting him and his mom.

Relevant pages

Benefits - Relief from Addictions to Will power