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The head to the back massage movement. PHOTO/CHARLOTTE NINSIIMA

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Could qigong massage be solution to autism?

What you need to know:

  • The massage treatment normalizes the sense of touch. As touch normalizes, so do the other sensory problems.

At 2 and a half years, Duncan Muramuzi, a father of three, realized their last born Conwell Ankunda experienced delayed speech. They opted for school believing that he was lonely. But when they took him to school, he was anti-social. He was either a crying baby or sleepless at night. One of the teachers noticed and announced that the child had autism.

This is when the Muramuzi embarked on their journey to source for the truth. A few doctors figured it out while others insisted it was delayed speech. The Muramuzis shot themselves in the foot even when they tried out speech developers.

At three years, his son, Ankunda completely lost speech and he always directed them what he wanted. It was until Muramuzi landed on Stuart Oyesigye’s Facebook page about insights on Autism. This opened a new chapter on how to address the condition. It has been eight months now since Ankunda started on treatment. His improvement has been one of the major highlights of this year.

“Immediately I started on the massage therapy, my son started speaking some words. The first attempt to administer the massage was rough for almost two months,” Muramuzi narrates.

“At times, we even sometimes administered it while he was standing. But now he is used to the routine and prepares his mat when his time is due.  He has mastered all the 12 movements.” 

Currently, the father acknowledges further, he can read, write although he has not fully constructed sentences. He sleeps at night. Before each of us had shifts when we would stay up late. He had very bad anger and would break something in his hands. He has improved greatly. He does not have close friends yet but plays at school. We are more relieved than before.

The family is a bit relieved compared to the earlier life that was filled with stress, anxiety, unproductivity and financial constraints. Of course no medications came through even after wandering in different hospitals.

Rita Embabazi za mukama reminisces when her six-year-old son was almost chased away from school due to his instability. After two months’ massage therapy, they have registered positive results. The mother of three bears witness, “he tries to do his homework, responds positively in class and has grown a calm character of late. Every step is worth celebrating.”

Muramuzi is one of the few parents testifying and giving hope to other parents on how to care for their autistic children.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Autism is an umbrella term for a group of developmental disorders that are neurological in origin and cause social, communication and behavioral challenges.

ASD is mainly characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. Children with ASD may also have their sensory sensitivity affected that is they may be under or over sensitive to certain senses (for instance; loud noises, certain fabrics).

The current situation is appalling with limited facilities and interventions for children with autism and inadequate professional training. The understanding of Autism is not clear: Parents and a cross-section of professionals confuse it with intellectual disability or mental illness. Some children end up in schools/hospitals for children with intellectual disabilities/ mental illness.

An emerging solution

Stuart Oyesigye was specifically interested in intellectual impairment and developmental disabilities of autistic children. With over 10 years’ expertise in special needs care, he discovered one had to be compassionate and understand deeper how to help one suffering from an Intellectual impairment.

“The other impairments are seen and can be solved physically, the blind are taught braille, a lame person can have crutches or a wheelchair, the deaf can be taught sign language. This is a different story for an intellectual impairment,” Oyesigye, Founder of Oyesigye Special Child Foundation shares.

He has undergone various training, skilled other teachers on how to handle learners with intellectual or visual impairment, social emotional challenges but later realized they were not helping the targeted audience.

Parents trained on how to massage fingers on an autistic child. PHOTO/CHARLOTTE NINSIIMA

With all failed attempts to achieve workable results, all hope was not lost until when he learnt of Qigong massage treatment. At the beginning of the year, the Uganda Autism Relief Program led by Oyesigye partnered with Belgium’s InTouch and trained 16 Qigong massage therapists under a two-year pilot study to assess the tractability of the condition. The therapists are supporting and training families with autistic children using the Qigong Therapy.

Qigong massage has been used in China for thousands of years to treat a variety of children’s ailments. Now, a Qigong massage program has been developed for autistic children that can be given in the home that reduces symptoms of autism.

All children with autism suffer from sensory disorders. Breakthrough research linking the severity of sensory disorders to the severity of autism shows that when sensory disorders are treated, autism decreases in severity. The research shows that the key to treating the sensory disorders in autism is the sense of touch.

The massage treatment normalizes the sense of touch. As touch normalizes, so do the other sensory problems.

Qigong massage for autism is a proven, touch-based autism treatment for children that parents perform for 15 minutes each day for up to two years to normalize sensory issues and reduce or eliminate symptoms of autism. Results are apparent after as few as 30 days of treatment. Qigong Sensory Training massage for autism is unique among autism treatments because it grants children access to normal development, helps them feel comfortable and connected to others, and improves lifetime outcomes.

How Qigong Massage Works

According to research, Oyesigye says, it depicts that children with autism have early loss of child-to-parent bonding, as well as loss of the ability to feel pleasure and reassurance with parent touch. Instead they near-universally reject, avoid, or fail to notice touch. Without the ability to enjoy touch and close physical contact, children aren't socially receptive and can't be soothed by parent touch. Before long, social delay and abnormal behavior are evident.

Research shows that pleasure and bonding with gentle touch are mediated by tiny sensory nerves in the skin, and when these nerves are damaged, children lose pleasure and bonding with touch. Fortunately, the damage is reversible, and treatment with Qigong massage for autism returns the sense of touch to normal. This improves bonding, stimulates social development and eliminates autistic behavior.

Dr. Louisa Silva is autistic and also a lead researcher for Qigong massage for autism. She has dedicated the last 18 years of her life to research a promising sensory treatment for children with disabilities that had been developed for delivery by physicians.

In 17 studies in young children with autism, research showed that treatment with Qigong Sensory Training massage decreased the severity of all aspects of autism. After five months of treatment, it is proved that sensory problems decreased by 38%; touch improved by 49%, autistic behavior decreased by 32%; Social skills increased and children were more affectionate, receptive language increased and parenting stress decreased by 44%.

Qigong massage works for all autistic persons. Children will progress faster as their bodies are more flexible and malleable. Older persons will progress a little slower and will heal as well.