Auditory integration training for children with autism: no behavioral benefits detected. A randomized controlled trial of group cognitive-behavioral therapy vs. enhanced supportive therapy for auditory hallucinations. Brief report: the effects of Tomatis sound therapy on language in children with autism. The long-term effects of auditory training on children with autism. Randomized controlled trial of electro-acupuncture for autism spectrum disorder. Seven-star needle stimulation improves language and social interaction of children with autistic spectrum disorders. A new social communication intervention for children with autism: pilot randomised controlled treatment study suggesting effectiveness. Randomized controlled trial of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in autism spectrum disorder. The effectiveness of traditional methods and altered auditory feedback in improving speech rate and intelligibility in speakers with Parkinson's disease.
Auditory integration training and a control treatment were provided for 16 children with autism in a crossover experimental design. Measures, blind to treatment order, included parent and teacher ratings of behavior, direct observational recordings, IQ, language, and social/adaptive tests. Significant differences tended to show that the control condition was superior on parent-rated measures of hyperactivity and on direct observational measures of ear-occlusion. No differences were detected on teacher-rated measures. Children's IQs and language comprehension did not increase, but adaptive/social behavior scores and expressive language quotients decreased. The majority of parents (56%) were unable to report in retrospect when their child had received auditory integration training. No individual child was identified as benefiting clinically or educationally from the treatment. There has been little research examining group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia, especially compared to an active control treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group CBT for auditory hallucinations compared to an enhanced supportive therapy (ST). Sixty five participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and persistent hallucinations were randomly assigned to group CBT or enhanced group ST. Primary outcomes focused on beliefs about voices and global auditory hallucinations severity. Secondary outcomes included psychotic symptoms, self-esteem, social functioning, insight, depression, and hospitalization. Controlling for baseline levels, these outcomes were evaluated across post-treatment, 3 month and 12 month follow-ups. Participants who received enhanced ST were less likely to both resist voices and to rate them as less malevolent through 12-month follow-up relative to participants who received CBT. Group CBT was associated with lower general and total symptom scores on the PANSS through 12-month-followup relative to participants who received enhanced ST. Outcomes improved through 12-month follow-up in both therapy groups, with enhanced ST having more specific impact on auditory hallucinations, and CBT impacting general psychotic symptoms. Due to the myriad of problems associated with autism, parents often consider alternative treatments. The investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of the Tomatis Method on language skills in children with autism utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. The results indicated that although the majority of the children demonstrated general improvement in language over the course of the study, it did not appear to be related to the treatment condition. The percent change for Group 1 (Placebo/Treatment) for treatment was 17.41%, and placebo was 24.84%. Group 2 (Treatment/Placebo) showed -3.98% change for treatment and 14.15% change for placebo. The results reflect a lack of improvement in language using the Tomatis Method for children with autism. Eighty children, 3-17 years of age, with autism or Asperger syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds, were randomly allocated to two groups. The experimental group received auditory training and the control group listened to the same unmodified music under the same conditions. Significant improvements in behavior and severity of autism were maintained for 12 months by both groups. Informal data suggested that a range of abnormal responses to sound and other sensory abnormalities may also have improved. Verbal and performance IQ increased significantly 3 to 12 months after interventions. Findings suggest that some aspect of both auditory training and listening to selected unmodified music may have a beneficial effect on children with autism and sound sensitivity, and indicate a need for further research into the effects that led to these changes and the mechanisms involved in the sensory abnormalities commonly associated with autism. To study the efficacy, safety, and compliance of short-term electro-acupuncture for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
                Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial.
                Children with ASD were randomly assigned to an electro-acupuncture (EA) group (n=30) or a sham electro-acupuncture (SEA) group (n=25) matched by age and severity of autism. The EA group received electro-acupuncture for selected acupoints while the SEA group received sham electro-acupuncture to sham acupoints. A total of 12 EA and SEA sessions over four weeks were given. Primary outcome measures included Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R), and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Secondary outcome measures consisted of Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale (RFRLS), Reynell Developmental Language Scale (RDLS), and a standardized parental report. Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test.
                There were significant improvements in the language comprehension domain of WeeFIM (p=0.02), self-care caregiver assistant domain of PEDI (p=0.028), and CGI-I (p=0.003) in the EA group compared to the SEA group. As for the parental report, the EA group also showed significantly better social initiation (p=0.01), receptive language (p=0.006), motor skills (p=0.034), coordination (p=0.07), and attention span (p=0.003). More than 70 percent of children with ASD adapted to acupuncture easily, while eight percent had poor acupuncture compliance. Mild side effects of minor superficial bleeding or irritability during acupuncture were observed.
                A short, four-week (12 sessions) course of electro-acupuncture is useful to improve specific functions in children with ASD, especially for language comprehension and self-care ability. This is a randomized controlled trial that aimed to evaluate the effect of the Seven-star Needle Stimulation treatment on children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Thirty-two children with ASD were assigned randomly into the treatment and control groups. Children in the treatment group underwent 30 sessions of stimulation over 6 weeks, while children in the control group were on a waiting list and did not receive treatment during this period of time. Intervention consisted of a treatment regime comprising of 30 sessions of Seven-star Needle Stimulation, delivered over 6 weeks. Each session lasted 5 to 10 min, children in the treatment group were stimulated at the front and back sides of their body and the head by using Seven-star Needles. The change in the children's behavior was evaluated using parents' report and neurophysiological changes were measured by quantitative EEG (qEEG). Results showed that the treatment group demonstrated significant improvement in language and social interaction, but not in stereotyped behavior or motor function, compared to the control group. qEEG spectral amplitudes in the treatment, but not in the control group, were also reduced significantly. The results suggested that Seven-star Needle Stimulation might be an effective intervention to improve language and social functioning of children with ASD. Psychosocial treatments are the mainstay of management of autism in the UK but there is a notable lack of a systematic evidence base for their effectiveness. Randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies in this area have been rare but are essential because of the developmental heterogeneity of the disorder. We aimed to test a new theoretically based social communication intervention targeting parental communication in a randomised design against routine care alone.
                The intervention was given in addition to existing care and involved regular monthly therapist contact for 6 months with a further 6 months of 2-monthly consolidation sessions. It aimed to educate parents and train them in adapted communication tailored to their child's individual competencies. Twenty-eight children with autism were randomised between this treatment and routine care alone, stratified for age and baseline severity. Outcome was measured at 12 months from commencement of intervention, using standardised instruments.
                All cases studied met full Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) criteria for classical autism. Treatment and controls had similar routine care during the study period and there were no study dropouts after treatment had started. The active treatment group showed significant improvement compared with controls on the primary outcome measure--Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) total score, particularly in reciprocal social interaction--and on secondary measures of expressive language, communicative initiation and parent-child interaction. Suggestive but non-significant results were found in Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (Communication Sub-domain) and ADOS stereotyped and restricted behaviour domain.
                A Randomised Treatment Trial design of this kind in classical autism is feasible and acceptable to patients. This pilot study suggests significant additional treatment benefits following a targeted (but relatively non-intensive) dyadic social communication treatment, when compared with routine care. The study needs replication on larger and independent samples. It should encourage further RCT designs in this area. We aim to study the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture in children with autism spectrum disorder.
                A single-blind randomized control trial was conducted in 50 children. These children were randomly assigned to the treatment group with tongue acupuncture (40 sessions over 8 weeks) or the control group (sham tongue acupuncture to nonacupoints in the tongue).
                There was improvement in both the treatment and control groups in all assessed measures but more so in the treatment than in the control group: (1) eye-hand coordination, performance, and practical reasoning of Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale; (2) sensory-motor, social, affectual, language, and total score of Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale; (3) Comprehension Language age in the Reynell Language Developmental Scale; and (4) Total Score and Mental Age in Symbolic Play Test. The only statistically significant improvement in the treatment as compared to the control group was seen in self-care and cognition domains of the Functional Independence Measure for children.
                We had demonstrated that a short course of acupuncture had efficacy in improving various developmental and behavioral aspects of children with autism. The long-term efficacy in functional gain needs to be further explored. Communication problems are a frequent symptom for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) which can have a significant impact on their quality-of-life. Deciding on the right management approach can be problematic though, as, with the exception of LSVT, very few studies have been published demonstrating the effectiveness of treatment techniques. The aim of this study was to compare traditional rate reduction methods with altered auditory feedback (AAF) with respect to their effectiveness to reduce speech rate and improve intelligibility in speakers with PD. Ten participants underwent both types of treatments in once weekly sessions for 6 weeks. Outcomes measures were speech rate for passage reading as well as intelligibility on both a passage reading and a monologue task. The results showed that, as a group, there was no significant change in either speech rate or intelligibility resulting from either treatment type. However, individual speakers showed improvements in speech performance as a result of each therapy technique. In most cases, these benefits persisted for at least 6 months post-treatment. Possible reasons for the variable response to treatment, as well as issues to consider when planning to use AAF devices in treatment are discussed.
There is no evidence that auditory integration therapy or other sound therapies are effective as treatments for autism spectrum disorders. As synthesis of existing data has been limited by the disparate outcome measures used between studies, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that this treatment is not effective. However, of the seven studies including 182 participants that have been reported to date, only two (with an author in common), involving a total of 35 participants, report statistically significant improvements in the auditory intergration therapy group and for only two outcome measures (Aberrant Behaviour Checklist and Fisher's Auditory Problems Checklist). As such, there is no evidence to support the use of auditory integration therapy at this time.