Effect of Acupuncture in Autism and Early Intervention– Hong Kong
Posted November 4th, 2008 by molly

Effect of Acupuncture in Autism and Early Intervention– Hong Kong

In Hong Kong we had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Virginia Wong’s research assistants at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital in Sandy Bay. Our main focus for the morning interview was their clinical research and findings about tongue acupuncture that was recently presented at a parent’s conference on World Autism Day.  Relatively unknown and unpracticed in the western world, the use of tongue acupuncture as a means to alleviate symptoms of autism plays an important role in China.  Here in Hong Kong, traditional Chinese medicine is an integral part of everyday medical practices. So as autism has recently become more prevalent, it was only natural for Chinese doctors to pursue other means of treatment for the symptoms of autism.

To understand the effects that acupuncture has had on children with autism symptoms, it is best to first learn about the steps taken to diagnose and treat an autistic child in the Hospital. 

Step 1: Diagnosis

-          Parents will receive a referral from their pediatrician to take their child to the Child Assessment Center at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital.

-          One of seven centers doing autism assessment in Hong Kong – Special services are funded by the government and is part of parent’s health care program.

-          All Child Assessment Centers in HK us ADOS to diagnose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_Diagnostic_Observation_Schedule)

-          After diagnosis, the child undergoes a number of private sessions to determine if they are a candidate for acupuncture.

 Step 2: Treatment

-          The course of treatment ranges from 12 to 24 sessions depending on the subject’s age and level of autism.

-          Acupuncture points vary per treatment of social interaction, attention span, language comprehension and physical development.

-          Acupuncture in five areas of tongue, 5 times per week for 40 sessions.

-          Needle not fully inserted, only quick in and out, not painful for child.

 Step 3: Results

-          When combined with western approaches, tongue acupuncture has presented significant findings.

-          A PET scan of the brain is done before, during and after treatment.  In 2 weeks, certain areas of the brain are more active (by .0003%).

-          Eye-hand coordination improvements and hand flapping stopped during treatment.

-          Use of speech improvement and decrease in repetitive behavior.

-          Duchess of Kent has collaborated with another hospital that has done acupuncture in the head, hand, foot and ear.

-          Acupuncture for autism is still new and experimental and few cases have been seen, with only a small percentage of improvements.

-          Still testing why some children respond better to acupuncture than others.

 EARLY INTERVENTION

Another interesting topic of conversation during our meeting was Early Intervention and how doctors and hospitals have created many programs for autistic children under the age of three.  There are currently no government services for autistic children under the age of three, but the Duchess of Kent Hospital offers private 8 week training programs using the A123 approach.  This new program created by doctors in Hong Kong is detrimental to the development of a child with autism. The sooner a child is diagnosed with autism, the sooner treatment begins and the better his/her chances of improving symptoms.

 The A123 program was also presented on World Autism day and involves the improvement of eye contact, gestures and vocalization in autistic children ages 3 and under.

-          Eye Contact: Doctor’s will call child’s name and hold out their favorite toy.  Once child makes eye contact, doctor will give them the toy = Reinforcement.

-          Gesture (Pointing): Use of bubbles and posters to teach children how to point with index finger and say “want” = Association. The ability to point to object, after 2 or 3 times child will learn to point to what they want instead of grabbing = Behavior Modification.

-          Gesture (Hand): Also teaching to open palm and say give, other than screaming when child wants something.  This alleviates stress on parents and reduces frequency of temper tantrums.

-          It is difficult to work with older children, although some 4 year olds have been allowed into the program.

Once again, thank you to Stella, Queenie and the entire team!