title: A model and treatment for autism at the convergence of Chinese medicine and Western science: first 130 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a model for autism showing that impairment of sensory and self-regulation is the core deficit that underlies delays in social/language skills and abnormal behavior in autism; and to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment for autism based on Chinese medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children with autism under 6 years of age were assigned to treatment or wait-list conditions. A total of 130 children were treated and the results compared with 45 wait-list controls. Treatment is a tuina methodology directed at sensory impairment--Kai Qiao Tuina. The treatment was a five-month protocol that was implemented daily 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
  The treatment had a large effect size (P<0.0001) on measures of sensory and self-regulation. The evaluations done by pre-school teachers demonstrated improvement in the measures of autism (P<0.003), and were confirmed by evaluations done by parents (P<0.0001). There was a large decrease (P<0.0001) in parenting stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sensory and self-regulatory impairment is a main factor in the development and severity of autism. Treatment of young children with autism with Kai Qiao Tuina resulted in a decrease in sensory and self-regulatory impairment and a reduction in severity of measures of autism.
authors.affiliation: Teaching Research Institute, Western Oregon University, P O Box 688, Salem, OR 97308, USA. lmtsilvaqigong@comcast.net
authors.forename: Louisa M T
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schalock
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ayres
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008954:Models, Biological; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology