A Model and Treatment for Autism at the Convergence of Chinese Medicine and Neuroscience: First 130 Cases (in press)

Objective: To present a model for early intervention in autism and demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment based on Chinese medicine on measures of autism. In Chinese medical terms, the model explains autism as a partial closure of the sensory orifices due to toxicity or block.  Translated into Western medical terms, an impairment of sensory regulation underlies the abnormal behaviors and developmental delays seen in autism.  Treatment is a qigong massage methodology. 
Methods: Children with autism under six years of age were assigned to treatment or wait-list conditions.  130 children were treated and the results compared with 45 wait-list controls.  The treatment is a five-month qigong massage protocol that was implemented by trained parents via trained support staff. The effects of treatment on the main symptoms, autistic behavior, social/language delay, sensory and self-regulatory impairment, as well as on parenting stress, were observed and compared. 
Results: Treatment had a large effect size (p<.0001) on measures of sensory and self-regulation.  Evaluations done by pre-school teachers demonstrated improvement in measures of autism – small effect size (p<.003), and were confirmed by evaluations done by parents – large effect size (p<.0001).  There was a large decrease (p<.0001) in parenting stress. 
Conclusion:  Sensory impairment is an important factor in the development and severity of autism.  Treatment of young children with autism with a qigong massage methodology results in a decrease in sensory and self-regulatory impairment and a reduction in severity of measures of autism.

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Silva, L., Ayres, R., & Schalock, M. (in press). Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine.