Abstract:

Objective To explore the effect of head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging key head acupoints on language and cognitive function in children with autism. Methods 60 children with autism who visited the Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation of our hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were selected as subjects， who were then randomly divided into the conventional group treated with the conventional rehabilitation training and the combination group treated with head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging the key acupoints， apart from conventional rehabilitation training 30 cases in each group. The cognitive function， developmental status， and parental quality of life before and after the treatment were compared between the two groups， and so were the language function and safety. Results There were no significant differences in the scores by Autism Behavior Checklist （ABC） and Childhood Autism Rating Scale （CARS）， adaptability scores， language scores， and individual?social interaction scores between the conventional group and the combination group before the treatment （P > 0.05）. After the treatment， the scores by ABC and CARS were significantly decreased in both groups， and the scores of the combination group were significantly lower than those in the conventional group （P < 0.05）； The adaptability scores， language， individual?social interaction scores were significantly increased in both groups， and the scores of the combined group were significantly higher than those of the conventional group （P < 0.05）. The abnormal rates of symbolic expression， language comprehension， action?oriented subjects， and language development delay in the combined group were all significantly lower than those in the conventional group （P < 0.05）. There was no significant difference in the scores by the QL?Index between the conventional group and the combined group before the treatment （P > 0.05）， but after the treatment， the QL?Index scores of the conventional group and the combination group were increased， and the score of the combination group was significantly higher than that of the conventional group （P < 0.05）. The results of blood routine， urine routine， stool routine， liver function， and kidney function in both groups were not significantly abnormal. There was one case of mild swelling and pain at the acupunctured site in the combination group， which was improved without intervention. Conclusion Head acupuncturing therapy combined with massaging the key head acupoints can improve language function， cognitive function， and development of autistic children. In addition， it can enhance parental quality of life and have a high level of safety.

Key words: autism, head acupuncturing therapy, head acupoint massaging therapy, language function, cognitive function