Massage Treatment Could Lessen Severity Of Autism

A massage treatment developed for children with autism can lessen the disorder’s severity, according to a newly published report.

The treatment was developed by Dr. Louisa Silva at the Qigong Sensory Training Institute in Oregon. It was found to be effective for both high and low functioning autistic children.

“That’s important because there really are very, very few effective research-based treatments for low-functioning children,” Silva said.

This lack of information is due to the fact that autism treatments require some degree of language and ability to focus. According to Silva, her treatment removes these barriers by centering on a 15-minute full-body massage. Silva has trained parents to use the massage therapy on children under the age of 6.

During the study, the treatment was found to improve sensory problems by 38 percent and improve sensitivity to touch and texture by 49 percent after five months of treatment. Children also experienced an 18 percent increase in receptive language.

One of the most notable results of the study is that parenting stress, which involves the difficulty of parenting an autistic child because of communication and sensory challenges, improved by 44 percent. According to Silva, interferences with a child’s sense of touch can compromise bonding time, which is why this massage treatment could benefit relationships between children and their parents.

Silva declined to comment on how long the positive effects of the massage treatment can last on children, though in previous studies with smaller samples of children, the effects lasted after 10 months.

Autism is estimated to effect about one in 68 children in the United States. The autism rate is especially high in Oregon, where the study was conducted, though it’s unclear why.

Source: Oregon Live