Rob Sidell

CONTACT: Laine Latimer, 503-859-2299, laine@latimergroup.com

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
TEACHING RESEARCH INSTITUTE STUDY
REPORTS SENSORY SYSTEM TREATMENT
EFFECTIVE IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
SALEM, OR…A five-month, parent-delivered massage intervention has been proven in scientific studies over the past nine years to lessen the severity of autism and improve sensory and self-regulation problems in pre-school aged children with autism. Known as the Qigong (chee-gong) Sensory Training Home Program, and based on principles of Chinese medicine, research documenting its effectiveness has been published in both Eastern and Western scientific journals, recently including the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.
In this intervention, parents are trained to give their child a daily fifteen-minute massage that is tuned to their child’s particular physical reactions to touch on different parts of their body. Within a few months, the children relax, open up, and participate more in home and school life. As sensory sensitivities disappear, behavior and tantrums improve. As key symptoms of autism disappear – e.g. avoiding eye contact, not being curious about social encounters – social and language learning increases.
This program is equally effective in low-functioning as in high-functioning children. By five months of treatment, data shows: parent stress decreased by 32%, autistic behavior decreased by 26%, sensory and self-regulation problems decreased by 28%, and overall autism decreased by 18%. Parents continuing the massage for another year or two, report continued improvements in their children’s growth and development.
Research shows an impairment of sensory regulation underlies the developmental delays and abnormal behaviors seen in Autism. The sooner that sensory problems can be addressed the sooner that development and behavior get back on track.
Thousands of years of experience with Qigong massage in China show that the younger the child is, the more effective it is. That is why we strongly recommend it as a first-line early intervention as soon as a diagnosis of autism is suspected”, says Dr. Louisa Silva, lead researcher, Teacher Research Institute at Western Oregon University.
“Through the last decade of working with parents, we have found that the success of this
program depends on one main thing: the parents get the massage into the daily routine and

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keep it there for five months”, says Dr. Silva. With that, both parent and child relax and enjoy the time together.
Dr. Silva created the non-profit Qigong Sensory Training Institute to coordinate treatment, training and research for young children with autism. Her goal is to make low-cost training available to parents of children with autism. Supporting her goal, she has released a new book, Helping Your Child with Autism, A Home Program from Chinese Medicine ISBN-13: 978-0-9821280-0-8. This book comes with an instructional DVD and is a comprehensive “how to”, easily understood, step-by-step instructional for parents to treat their children at home.
A few comments from parents who have used this program with their child:
Linda L: mother of a 3-yr old: “When we believed that autism was permanent and unchangeable, we wouldn’t have thought of trying to improve it. Now we believe autism is treatable. We do the massage every day.”
Dan S: father of a 6-yr old: “I remember starting the program and thinking, if I could only feel there is some hope here, I’d be so happy by this time next year. I never dreamed he’d emerge so tuned in, so vocal, so inquisitive, so loving, so aware and so happy. I’ll never stop singing the praises of qigong; I hope that this method becomes much more common for helping autistic children. You’ve literally changed our lives.”
Bonnie L: mother of a 5-yr old: “Now he wants to brush his own teeth, he lets us brush his hair; I even checked him for head lice last night. When I started he said, ‘don’t hurt me.’ After a moment he said, ‘that doesn’t hurt’. I was checking him like any other kid and he didn’t scream or fight.”
“The particular form of Qigong massage that we recommend is called Qigong Sensory Training, or QST for short. It is one of hundreds of possible massage routines used by Chinese medicine to treat illness, and it is specific for autism and sensory problems”, says Dr. Silva.
For more information please visit www.qsti.org