A study published in Alternative Medicine Review (July 2010; 15(2):136–146) examined electro-acupuncture in 55 children with autism spectrum disorder. In this randomized, double-blind study, participants received either 12 sessions of electro-acupuncture or a sham procedure over a four-week period.
Outcomes were assessed using standardized measures, including the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), the self-care caregiver assistance domain of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and the Clinical Global Impression–Improvement scale. Compared with the control group, children receiving electro-acupuncture showed changes in several of these assessment scores, including measures related to language comprehension and self-care.
