About Us |
The Qigong Sensory Training Institute (QSTI) is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation incorporated in Oregon in 2008. Our mission is to research and develop massage interventions for children with autism and other disabilities, and to offer training programs for parents and professionals.
QSTI was founded by Louisa Silva, MD, MPH
The Executive Director of QSTI is Kevin Jeffers, PhD
QSTI was founded by Louisa Silva, MD, MPH
The Executive Director of QSTI is Kevin Jeffers, PhD
Louisa Silva, M.D., M.P.H. integrates Western and Chinese medicine with public health. Dr. Silva is a visiting professor at Teaching Research Institute, Western Oregon University, and the lead researcher in QST massage protocols for children with autism and other disabilities.
Dr. Silva searches for solutions for children with autism that are gentle, effective and affordable. She believes that although not all disabilities can be cured, sensory problems can be treated, and parents can be given effective, research-based home programs to lessen the impact of the disability on their child.
In 2000, when the son of a dear friend was diagnosed with autism, she became aware of the devastating effect of the autism diagnosis on families and the lack of treatment options. Parents needed effective home programs to lessen the severity of the disability. And, as sensory problems came to be recognized as part of autism, Special Education pre-school programs needed research-based programs to address the sensory problems and help get children ready for school.
Dr. Silva decided to research a promising sensory treatment for children with disabilities that had been developed for delivery by physicians. Her goal was to develop and adapt the protocol for use by parents and Special Education programs and determine whether it was effective for autism. She has since completed more than a dozen research studies with QST massage showing that QST massage treatment effectively decreases the severity of autism in pre-school children, regardless of how severe the autism is.
She has recently completed a large federal replication study confirming that QST massage is an effective, low-cost, treatment for autism that decreases autism severity, treats the sensory disability, decreases parenting stress, and can be effectively implemented by parents and Early Childhood Special Education programs starting at the time of autism diagnosis.
She received her medical degree from UCLA medical school in 1979, obtained her Chinese medical training in 1989 and her public health training in 2003. She joined TRI as a visiting research professor in 2005 and founded the Qigong Sensory Training Institute in 2008 retired from full-time medical practice in 2016, continues to serve as active volunteer with QSTI and a key adviser on all aspects of our work.
Dr. Silva searches for solutions for children with autism that are gentle, effective and affordable. She believes that although not all disabilities can be cured, sensory problems can be treated, and parents can be given effective, research-based home programs to lessen the impact of the disability on their child.
In 2000, when the son of a dear friend was diagnosed with autism, she became aware of the devastating effect of the autism diagnosis on families and the lack of treatment options. Parents needed effective home programs to lessen the severity of the disability. And, as sensory problems came to be recognized as part of autism, Special Education pre-school programs needed research-based programs to address the sensory problems and help get children ready for school.
Dr. Silva decided to research a promising sensory treatment for children with disabilities that had been developed for delivery by physicians. Her goal was to develop and adapt the protocol for use by parents and Special Education programs and determine whether it was effective for autism. She has since completed more than a dozen research studies with QST massage showing that QST massage treatment effectively decreases the severity of autism in pre-school children, regardless of how severe the autism is.
She has recently completed a large federal replication study confirming that QST massage is an effective, low-cost, treatment for autism that decreases autism severity, treats the sensory disability, decreases parenting stress, and can be effectively implemented by parents and Early Childhood Special Education programs starting at the time of autism diagnosis.
She received her medical degree from UCLA medical school in 1979, obtained her Chinese medical training in 1989 and her public health training in 2003. She joined TRI as a visiting research professor in 2005 and founded the Qigong Sensory Training Institute in 2008 retired from full-time medical practice in 2016, continues to serve as active volunteer with QSTI and a key adviser on all aspects of our work.