Randomized controlled trial of electro-acupuncture for autism spectrum disorder. Randomized controlled trial of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in autism spectrum disorder. [Effect of acupuncture on rehabilitation training of child's autism]. Scalp acupuncture effect on language development in children with autism: a pilot study. [Effects of electroacupuncture combined with behavior therapy on intelligence and behavior of children of autism]. Group cognitive behavior therapy for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and anxiety: a randomized trial.
To study the efficacy, safety, and compliance of short-term electro-acupuncture for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
                Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial.
                Children with ASD were randomly assigned to an electro-acupuncture (EA) group (n=30) or a sham electro-acupuncture (SEA) group (n=25) matched by age and severity of autism. The EA group received electro-acupuncture for selected acupoints while the SEA group received sham electro-acupuncture to sham acupoints. A total of 12 EA and SEA sessions over four weeks were given. Primary outcome measures included Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R), and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Secondary outcome measures consisted of Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale (RFRLS), Reynell Developmental Language Scale (RDLS), and a standardized parental report. Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test.
                There were significant improvements in the language comprehension domain of WeeFIM (p=0.02), self-care caregiver assistant domain of PEDI (p=0.028), and CGI-I (p=0.003) in the EA group compared to the SEA group. As for the parental report, the EA group also showed significantly better social initiation (p=0.01), receptive language (p=0.006), motor skills (p=0.034), coordination (p=0.07), and attention span (p=0.003). More than 70 percent of children with ASD adapted to acupuncture easily, while eight percent had poor acupuncture compliance. Mild side effects of minor superficial bleeding or irritability during acupuncture were observed.
                A short, four-week (12 sessions) course of electro-acupuncture is useful to improve specific functions in children with ASD, especially for language comprehension and self-care ability. We aim to study the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in children with autism spectrum disorder.
                A single-blind randomized control trial was conducted in 50 children. These children were randomly assigned to the treatment group with tongue acupuncture (40 sessions over 8 weeks) or the control group (sham tongue acupuncture to nonacupoints in the tongue).
                There was improvement in both the treatment and control groups in all assessed measures but more so in the treatment than in the control group: (1) eye-hand coordination, performance, and practical reasoning of Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale; (2) sensory-motor, social, affectual, language, and total score of Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale; (3) Comprehension Language age in the Reynell Language Developmental Scale; and (4) Total Score and Mental Age in Symbolic Play Test. The only statistically significant improvement in the treatment as compared to the control group was seen in self-care and cognition domains of the Functional Independence Measure for children.
                We had demonstrated that a short course of acupuncture had efficacy in improving various developmental and behavioral aspects of children with autism. The long-term efficacy in functional gain needs to be further explored. To observe the effect of acupuncture on rehabilitation training for children's autism.
                Forty autistic children receiving rehabilitation training were divided into a control group and a treatment group, 20 cases in each group. The control group received rehabilitation training including ABA training, the Conductive Education Approach and the training of sensory integration, about 90 sessions for each training; the treatment group received acupuncture treatment for 60-90 sessions after the rehabilitation training. Their results were detected by the revised Chinese version of Psycho-Educational Profile for autistic and developmentally disabled children (C-PEP).
                The markedly effective rate was 55.0% in the treatment group and 15.0% in the control group with a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01); the differences before and after training in some projects such as the total score of development, imitation, oral cognition in the treatment group were very significantly different from those in the control group (P < 0.01).
                Acupuncture combined with scientific and effective rehabilitation training has a better therapeutic effect than that of the simple rehabilitation training for child's autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in delays in social interaction, language used in social communication, and symbolic or imaginative play, with an onset prior to age 3 years. Language therapy (LT) for children with autism is the main form of rehabilitation, because it emphasizes its major presenting symptom (i.e., language impairment). Scalp acupuncture (scalp AP) is a modality based on the physiologic function of different brain areas, where different scalp zones are stimulated with needles so as to stimulate the reflexively related nervous tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the role of scalp AP as a complementary modality to LT in rehabilitation of children with autism.
                The study involved 20 children (divided into 2 equal groups: A and B), diagnosed as autistic according to DSM IV classification. Their ages ranged between 4 and 7 years old. All subjects underwent LT twice weekly, aiming at stimulation of cognitive and verbal abilities. Group B only was subjected to scalp AP sessions--twice weekly--as a rehabilitation complementary tool during the 9-month period of the study. The acupoints used were: Du 20, 26, GV17; three temple needles; and Yamamoto's New Scalp Acupuncture cerebrum and aphasia points (acupuncture needles 0.3 x 30 mm). A language test was performed before and after therapy to monitor cognition and expression (an Arabic test was included).
                Both groups, whose mean age range was 5.5 years+/-1.22 years, showed a significant improvement in cognitive and expressive language skills pre- and post-therapy, which was highly significant among group B children treated with scalp AP (attention 2.8+/-0.8 in group A versus 3.5+/-0.8 in group B; receptive semantics were 7+/-3.8 in group A versus 9.4+/-3.1 in group B). Expressive semantics significantly improved in both groups.
                Scalp AP is a safe complementary modality when combined with LT and has a significantly positive effect on language development in children with autism. To find out an effective therapy for autism.
                Sixty children of autism were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture (EA) plus behavior therapy group and a behavior therapy group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the two groups were treated with routine behavior, with EA at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), Benshen (GB 13), Yintang (EX-HN 3), Naohu (GV 17), Naokong (GB 19), Neiguan (PC 6) and scalp acupuncture at Speech Areas I, II, III added for the EA plus behavior therapy group. Their therapeutic effects were observed, and the picture and vocabulary scale (PPVT) and behavior ability were detected.
                The total effective rate was 86.7% in the EA plus behavior therapy group which was better than 56.7% of the behavior therapy group, and had significant enhancement in sensation, association, body, and ability of self-care (P < 0.05) and was better than the behavior therapy group in sensation, body and self-care factors, with no significantly improvement in the scores of PPVT in the two groups (P > 0.05).
                EA combined with behavior therapy can significantly improve clinical symptoms of autism, but does not improve intelligence. Children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at high risk for developing significant anxiety. Anxiety can adversely impact functioning across school, home and community environments. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) are frequently used with success for children with anxiety symptoms. Modified CBT interventions for anxiety in children with ASD have also yielded promising results.
                Fifty children with high-functioning ASD and anxiety were randomizedto group CBT or treatment-as-usual (TAU) for 12 weeks. Independent clinical evaluators, blind to condition, completed structured interviews (Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule – Parent Version;ADIS-P) pre- and post-intervention condition.
                Forty-seven children completed either the CBT or TAU condition. Results indicated markedly better outcomes for the CBT group. Significant differences by group were noted in Clinician Severity Ratings, diagnostic status, and clinician ratings of global improvement. In the intent-to-treat sample, 10 of 20 children (50%) in the CBT group had a clinically meaningful positive treatment response, compared to 2 of 23 children (8.7%) in the TAU group.
                Initial results from this randomized, designed treatment study suggest that agroup CBT intervention specifically developed for children with ASD may be effective in decreasing anxiety. Limitations of this study include small sample size, lack of an attention control group, and use of outcome measures normed with typically developing children
Current evidence does not support the use of acupuncture for treatment of ASD. There is no conclusive evidence that acupuncture is effective for treatment of ASD in children and no RCTs have been carried out with adults. Further high quality trials of larger size and longer follow-up are needed.