Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture Versus Sham Acupuncture in Autistic Spectrum Disorder

The University of Hong Kong50 enrolled

Overview

We aim to study the efficacy of Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in children with ASD.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy, the approach to Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a holistic one. The objective is to study the efficacy of a short intensive course of Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in improving the overall functional status of children with autism. A single-blind randomized control trial was conducted in 50 children. These children were randomly assigned to Treatment group with Tongue Acupuncture (40 sessions over 8 weeks) or Control group (Sham Tongue Acupuncture to non-acupoints in the tongue).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Autistic Disorder Autism

Interventions

Tongue Acupuncture (Procedure)PROCEDURE

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 3 YearsMax age: 11 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects with diagnosis of autism made according to the criteria of the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and with a score for Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) greater than 30. Exclusion Criteria: * Children with associated neurological disorders and epilepsy.

Locations (1)

Duchess of Kent of Children Hospital

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale (GMDS) was conducted before (at Week 0) and after (at Week 9) acupuncture.

Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale (RFRLS) was conducted before (at Week 0) and after (at Week 9) acupuncture.

Reynell Language Developmental Scale (RLDS) was conducted before (at Week 0) and after (at Week 9) acupuncture.

Symbolic Play Test (SPT) was conducted before (at Week 0) and after (at Week 9) acupuncture.

Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) was conducted before (at Week 0) and after (at Week 9) acupuncture.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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