Research-Proven Treatment that Works
Tools and Training for Parents and Therapists to Treat Autism
​Qigong Sensory Treatment (QST) massage is a soothing, touch-based autism treatment that parents perform for 15 minutes each day for up to two years to help children regain a normal sense of touch and reduce or eliminate symptoms of autism. Results are apparent after as few as 30 days of treatment. QST is unique among autism treatments because it grants children access to more normal development, helps them feel more comfortable and connected to others, and contributes to improving lifetime outcomes.
How QST Works
Almost every autism symptom can be traced back to a problem with touch, which in turn delays normal childhood development. Yet until very recently, we have not known what causes these problems. Now, new research is helping us to understand what causes autism symptoms and how to reverse them. Tiny sensory nerves, called C–tactile fibers, mediate the pleasurable and soothing effects of touch. These make up a large percentage of touch fibers and are important for bonding. Without them, close, affectionate contact doesn’t feel good, parents can’t calm their children with touch, and child-to-parent bonding suffers—all of which negatively impact early childhood development.
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​After years of not being able to test the sense of touch in autism, the first skin biopsies in four autistic children ages 8-12 recently discovered 50 percent loss in these fibers. The research shows that QST massage can completely normalize these symptoms in studied children.  

The Research
In 15 studies conducted in pre-school children since 2005, QST has been shown to deliver positive results in four key areas after just five months:
  • Behavior improves by 32%; receptive language improves; autism becomes less severe
  • Parenting stress is reduced by 44%
  • Touch improves by 49%; sensory problems improve by 38%
  • Children are more affectionate, participate more in family life, and are more receptive in the classroom
In our 2-year follow-up study, all children improved with continued treatment:
  • On average, autism decreased in severity by 44%
  • Overall, one in four children moved off the spectrum
  • Over 1/2 of high-functioning children moved into the non-autistic range
  • There was 100% recovery of the sense of touch
A study evaluating treatment in children aged 6-11 showed that similar results were possible in older children.

QST Massage is a Breakthrough
The Qigong Sensory Treatment massage program developed at QSTI, based on practices used in the East for thousands of years, has successfully treated more than a thousand children in the United States since 2003. It is a breakthrough treatment on three counts:
  1. It is the first treatment to improve all aspects of autism – behavioral, language, and sensory, and provide a large reduction of parenting stress
  2. It is the first treatment that is consistently effective for children with severe as well as moderate/mild autism
  3. It is the first treatment that effectively decreases the sensory disability in autism
We are working now to share the good news with parents and professionals and grow the organization. Please join us by helping to spread the word about QST to families and therapists or by volunteering, making a donation or helping to secure grant funding, attending a training, or by buying a book or a DVD.

Learn why touch is critical to treating autism.
GETTING STARTED
​For parents starting the massage, we recommend a Parent Essentials Package that includes three products at a reduced price. The package includes the parent training book/DVD Qigong Massage for Your Child with Autism and the parent workbook My Child's First Year of QST Massage. The book/DVD will teach you what you need to know to begin the massage and the workbook will support you during your first year. We also recommend a social storybook to prepare your child for the massage. For verbal children, we recommend Qigong at Home. For non-verbal children, we recommend My Qigong Book. 

For parents who have started the QST Massage with their child and would like assistance or feedback, we offer one on one video coaching.

Some of these resources are available in other languages. Dutch, French, and Chinese translations of the Qigong Massage book are in process.