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Acupuncture for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

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Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We searched the literature using 15 databases. Eleven randomized clinical trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria. Most had significant methodological weaknesses. The studies’ statistical and clinical heterogeneity prevented us from conducting a meta-analysis. Two RCTs found that acupuncture plus conventional language therapy was superior to sham acupuncture plus conventional therapy. Two other RCTs found that acupuncture produced significant effects compared with conventional language therapy or complex interventions. Three RCTs suggested that acupuncture plus conventional therapies had beneficial effects compared with conventional therapy alone. Four more RCTs reported that subjects who received acupuncture experienced significant effects compared with subjects who were waitlisted or received no treatment. The results of these studies provide mixed evidence of acupuncture’s effectiveness as a treatment for ASD symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

Myeong Soo Lee and Tae-Young Choi were supported by KIOM (K11111).

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None declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Disease Research Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, 305-811, South Korea

    Myeong Soo Lee & Tae-Young Choi

  2. School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, 626-870, South Korea

    Byung-Cheul Shin

  3. Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX2 4SG, UK

    Edzard Ernst

Authors
  1. Myeong Soo Lee
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  2. Tae-Young Choi
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  3. Byung-Cheul Shin
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  4. Edzard Ernst
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Correspondence to Myeong Soo Lee.

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Lee, M.S., Choi, TY., Shin, BC. et al. Acupuncture for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1671–1683 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1409-4

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