Qigong Sensory Treatment

You’ve reached this page because you’re curious about the role of structured touch in autism. Welcome.

Autism is widely viewed as a brain-based condition, but increasing evidence points to disrupted tactile processing - especially in the peripheral nervous system - as a foundational contributor to developmental delay.

Qigong Sensory Treatment (QST) is a daily, parent-delivered massage protocol designed to normalise sensory responses, improve self-regulation and support emotional and language development. It is one of the only touch-based interventions for autism supported by:

• Two randomized controlled trials

• Longitudinal follow-up studies (1–2 years)

• Biological evidence — including skin biopsies showing CT fiber loss

QST directly engages the peripheral nervous system and proposes a model of autism not solely as a cognitive or social disorder, but as a multisystem sensory condition grounded in touch.

After 5 months of daily Qigong Sensory Treatment:

• Touch normalized by 49% (Measured by Sense and Self-Regulation Checklist)

• Distress reactions decreased by 32% (Autism Behavior Checklist)

• Autism severity reduced by 12% (Childhood Autism Rating Scale)

At 2-year follow-up: continued daily treatment led to further improvements

• Autism severity reduced by 44%

• 26% of children no longer met diagnostic criteria

• Touch normalised by 72% overall

o 62% improvement for children with mild touch problems

o 18% improvement for children with severe touch problems

o 50% of children with mild touch problems improved 100%

• Emotional self-regulation improved by 49%

• Language development improved

o 55% improvement in children with mild autism

o 24% improvement in children with more severe autism

Recent research supports a multisystem model of autism involving:

• Peripheral dysfunction (loss of C-tactile fibers)

• Autonomic disregulation (blunted vagal tone)

• Central hypo-activation (reduced social touch processing)

QST provides a unique model to investigate how daily structured touch can recalibrate the sensory-autonomic-social axis.

Unlike massage therapy, brushing protocols, sensory integration therapies or shiatsu -which have limited peer-reviewed research on long-term developmental change;

QST stands out for its:

• Standardised, parent-delivered protocol

• Multiple published studies, including randomized controlled trials and follow-ups

• Exploration of physiological mechanisms, including sensory nerve fiber density

🧪 QST is currently the only touch-based autism intervention with published research investigating skin innervation and CT fiber loss in the autistic population.

Other approaches may impact the sensory system, but have not yet been studied at the structural nerve level.

Qigong Sensory Treatment (QST) is supported by strong clinical outcomes - but how it works, at a mechanistic level, remains an open and vital question. We invite collaboration with researchers interested in deepening our understanding of:

🔬 Mechanistic Pathways to Explore

• Peripheral Sensory Function

  • Structure and density of C-tactile fibers (via skin biopsy, microneurography)

  • Changes in somatosensory thresholds and sensitivity

• Autonomic Nervous System

  • Heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance, vagal tone

  • Relationship between autonomic state and emotional regulation

• Central Nervous System

  • Neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG) to observe brain response to structured touch

  • Connectivity and plasticity in sensory-social circuits

• Neuroimmune & Endocrine Axes

  • Touch as a modulator of cortisol, oxytocin and inflammatory markers

• Developmental Trajectories

  • Longitudinal studies on sensory integration, language and social behaviour

  • Subgroup analyses (mild vs. severe ASD, age, gender)

• Clearly defined intervention protocol

• Demonstrated clinical effects in over 700 children

• Engages multiple sensory and regulatory systems

• Scalable, parent-delivered, real-world applicability

• Validated clinical tools available for tracking Parent and therapists' outcomes

Let’s connect:

📧 Email us at info@makechildrenbetter.org to collaborate or request materials.