| The clinical application of mindfulness has gained in popularity over recent years, leading some to anticipate its usefulness in educational settings. However, research targeting mindfulness and youth is only beginning and questions regarding the developmental appropriateness of meditation practices abound. The current discourse identifies neurocognitive mechanisms associated with mindfulness and tracks their developmental trajectories by gathering evidence from the fields of neuroscience, developmental psychology, education, and contemplative science, via computer searches. These insights are then examined alongside current research describing the impacts of mindfulness practices on youth, investigating possible links between theoretical inferences and currently existing empirical data. Altogether, this information is intended to contribute to increased understanding and more effective implementation of mindfulness in support of youth development, while also guarding against possible adverse effects if mindfulness practices are applied in developmentally inappropriate ways. |
