Pediatric Massage for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study was designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial of pediatric massage for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 72 ASD children will be recruited and randomly divided into two groups: the treatment group (pediatric massage + usual care, n=36) and the control group (usual care/waitlist group, n=36).30 healty controls will be recruited. Children in the treatment group will received 12 weeks pediatric massage by doctors and their own parents. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Social Responsiveness Scale-Second Edition (SRS-2), Children\'s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) will be used to assess the clinical behavioral changes of all participants, and to analyze the clinical effectiveness and safety of pediatric massage for children with ASD. Electroencephalography (EEG) and brain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be recorded before and after treatment, to observe the potential brain target of pediatric massage for children with ASD.