Children's Mental and Neurodevelopmental Health: The Call Behind the Behaviour
In childhood, restlessness is not energy but expression. When that restlessness turns to instability, it is not mischief but a silent call.
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Summary · AI
- ADHD, autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions differ in kind; diagnosis needs assessment by a qualified specialist.
- The causes are not biological alone — instruction has replaced conversation, screens have replaced play, competition has replaced attention.
- A child is not showing behaviour; the child is looking for a way to be heard.
- The remedies here come from Jain practice: daily samayik, eating once a day, sessions of silence, and talking with the child.
This summary was written by AI and may contain mistakes; the article itself is authoritative.
This is an English translation of the original Hindi. Translation may have changed the meaning a little; the Hindi original is the authoritative version.
Childhood is the stage of life where awareness takes shape, where the first impressions are marked, and where the soul speaks with society for the first time. It is the stage where restlessness is not energy but expression. But when that restlessness turns to instability, when conversation becomes noise, and when attention scatters — then it is not mischief but a silent call.
Today, in India and across the world, difficulties in children’s mental and neurodevelopmental health are rising quickly. ADHD, the autism spectrum, anger, irritability and lack of attention are no longer only medical words; they have become the reality of household after household. This asks not for medicine but for a way of seeing.
The extent of the problem
According to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics report of 2024, ADHD, autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions in Indian children are of differing kinds, and their diagnosis requires assessment by a qualified specialist. The particular 12% / 18% figure given in this manuscript could not be sufficiently verified, and has therefore been removed. Lack of attention in school, anger, and an unwillingness to speak are now taken as ordinary behaviour.
That figure is not a number but a warning — that we are teaching our children but not understanding them.
The undercurrent of the causes
Children’s mental and neurodevelopmental health is not a matter of biology alone. It is the outcome of a life in which:
- instruction is given in the place of conversation
- screens have taken the place of play
- competition has found the place of attention
- the wish for things at once has settled where restraint used to live
Jain thought says — “संयम एव बालकस्य संस्कारः” — that is: restraint is itself a child’s first formation.
But today’s child becomes familiar not with restraint but with stimulation. That is the imbalance which turns restlessness into disorder.
The effect on society and the family
A child’s unsteadiness is not the school’s problem alone; it is the family’s call. When a child cannot attend, cannot speak, grows angry — the child is not showing behaviour; the child is looking for a way to be heard.
This leaves parents with guilt, teachers helpless, and society confused. Often the child is called “spoilt” and the call goes unheard. This is the neglect not of one child but of a generation.
The direction of a remedy: the inspiration of Jain practice
To come out of this crisis we must become not psychologists but shapers of character. If we give children not only instruction but attention; if we do not only correct them but listen to them — that can help with the symptoms and the difficulties.
In the Jain way of living, a child is formed through restraint, silence and compassion. Practices such as the ordering of each day, eating once a day, the auspicious recitation, and samayik give a child steadiness, attention and inner strength.
Practical remedies:
| Measure | The Jain view | Expected effect |
|---|---|---|
| Daily samayik (10–15 minutes) | Steadiness of mind | More attention, less anger |
| Eating once a day (ekasan) | The practice of restraint | Less wanting things at once, more balance |
| A session of silence (before night) | Conversation with oneself | Clarity of feeling |
| Talking with the child (with parents) | The widening of compassion | Confidence, a bond with others |
The place of policy and education
If behavioural disorders in children are to be stopped, not medicine but formation and conversation must be given a place in education. Samayik for children in schools, conversation about restraint in families, and campaigns of compassion towards children in society — together these can build a generation that feels.
NITI Aayog’s Child Mental Wellness Strategy 2025 proposes that India should set up a character-based curriculum, practices of silence, and forums for conversation about restraint, for the mental health of children.
A sign that inspires: from restlessness towards awareness
A boy who had struggled for years with poor attention, anger and silence was given the chance of daily samayik, the practice of silence, and eating once a day. His mind steadied, peace came into his eyes, and his life turned into conversation.
This was no miracle, but the result of restraint, equanimity and compassion.
Conclusion
Children’s mental and neurodevelopmental health is not restlessness — it is a call of awareness. If we do not only correct the child but listen; if we do not only teach the child but form them — then this crisis can not only be controlled but defeated.
This chapter is a call — that we join our children to the dignity of the Jain way of living, give them the gift of silence, restraint and equanimity, and build a steady, feeling generation.
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