Osteopathic Manual Medicine Treatment in Autism

Autism is a complex neuro-developmental disorder of early childhood onset characterized by
impairments in the core triad of social interaction, repetitive-stereotypes behaviors, and
verbal/nonverbal communication. This major public health concern exerts an enormous toll on
the quality of life of affected individuals, families, and society. Though there are
medications available for use in managing autism associated behaviors, including aggression,
self-injury and hyperactivity, there are no medical treatments of proven benefit in treating
core autistic features such as social and communication deficits. Complementary and
alternative medical treatments(CAM) are commonly used by individuals with a wide variety of
medical diseases including autism despite little evidence-based support for their efficacy.
Recent surveys reveal the prevalence of CAM use in children with autism to be between 30%
and 95%. Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) is one of the most well studied CAM treatments,
achieving widening acceptance with increasing evidence of safety and efficacy, as an adjunct
in the treatment of a number of conditions. OMM appears to be a safe treatment modality in
the pediatric population when administered by physicians with expertise in OMM. At a
physiologic level, OMM has been proposed to elicit some of its therapeutic and biomechanical
effects through an ability to mobilize body fluids, increase removal of metabolic waste, and
boost immune function. OMM has been shown to have favorable effects on neuro-endocrine and
immunologic function. As theories of autism pathogenesis often revolve around immune
dysregulation including lowered IgA levels, and accumulation of metabolic and xenobiotic
agents, there are theoretical mechanisms through which OMM can exert therapeutic effects. In
practice, OMM has been shown to improve sensory and motor performance with neurological
problems, including autism. Additionally, studies of manual medicine techniques similar in
principle to OMM, including Qigong massage and Tuina, have yielded favorable outcomes on a
number of core autistic features including social, language, sensory, cognition and
self-care domains as measured by the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Functional
Independence Measures for Children(WeeFIM). 30 subjects will be randomized to receive OMM or
sham treatments. Standardized assessment tools for autism symptom severity (ABC and WeeFIM)
will be administered pre- and post-study to compare treatment efficacy between arm. Saliva
samples will be collected pre- and post-treatment sessions to evaluate biochemical response
and to catalog genetic markers that could provide insight into subsets exhibiting
differential response.

Inclusion Criteria:

- clinical diagnosis of Autism

- ages 3-11 years

Exclusion Criteria:

- individuals outside the age range

- inability to provide documentation verifying Autism diagnosis

- currently receiving or previously received osteopathic treatment