Abstract
Acupuncture is one of the commonest forms of complementary and alternative medicine used by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in search of a “cure.” It is a heterogeneous form of therapy, with different methods of stimulation (manual or electrical) on different acupoints (on the body, tongue, scalp, ears, etc.), using different schedules. The therapeutic rationale of acupuncture is mainly based on theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the biological mechanism of action is not fully understood. Because of heterogeneity of ASD subjects recruited for acupuncture trials, variations in the type of acupuncture used, and lack of standardization of selection of acupoints, more studies need to be conducted to define the role of acupuncture as an add-on treatment modality for ASD.
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Wong, V.C.N., Chu, V.L.Y., Cheuk, D.K.L. (2014). Acupuncture in Autism Spectrum Disorders. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V., Martin, C. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_136
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_136
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