Effects of a mindfulness-based smoking cessation program for an adult with mild intellectual disability.
Mindfulness plus a step-down cigarette plan helped one man with mild ID quit smoking for three full years.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One adult with mild intellectual disability joined a mindfulness stop-smoking plan. The plan had three parts: set a daily no-smoke intention, watch thoughts without acting on them, and switch focus by feeling the soles of the feet.
The team used a changing-criterion design. Each week the man had to smoke fewer cigarettes than the week before until he hit zero.
What they found
The man reached zero cigarettes within three months. He stayed smoke-free for the full three-year follow-up.
The step-down schedule let him adjust slowly, and the mindfulness tricks helped him ride out urges.
How this fits with other research
Clarke et al. (2017) found that almost half of adults with mild ID who live on their own still smoke. The new study shows one person can buck that trend with the right tools.
Lucki et al. (1983) proved adults with ID can use self-management to cut disruptive talk. Ahrens et al. (2011) now extends that idea to quitting nicotine, a much tougher habit.
Goodwin et al. (2012) warned that people with ID rarely get substance-use treatment. This single case is a bright spot: when given a clear, simple plan, an adult with ID can quit and stay quit.
Why it matters
You now have a low-cost package you can try with clients who smoke: intention statement, thought watching, and sole-of-foot meditation. Pair it with a gradual cigarette cut-off and track counts daily. Even one success tells us tobacco cessation is possible for adults with mild ID when we give them the same self-management tools we use for other behaviors.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Teach your smoking client to stop, notice the urge, and shift attention to the feel of his feet for 30 seconds.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Smoking is a major risk factor for a number of health conditions and many smokers find it difficult to quit smoking without specific interventions. We developed and used a mindfulness-based smoking cessation program with a 31-year-old man with mild intellectual disabilities who had been a smoker for 17 years. The mindfulness-based smoking cessation program consisted of three components: intention, mindful observation of thoughts, and Meditation on the Soles of the Feet. A changing-criterion analysis showed that this man was able to fade his cigarette smoking from 12 at baseline to 0 within 3 months, and maintain this for a year. Follow-up data, collected every 3 months following the maintenance period, showed he was able to abstain from smoking for 3 years. Our study suggests that this mindfulness-based smoking cessation program merits further investigation.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.003