Impact of parent-delivered traditional Thai massage on children with autism spectrum disorder and parenting stress: a randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effects of parent-delivered traditional Thai massage (TTM) on children with autism and its potential influence on parenting stress.MethodsForty-eight children with autism (aged 10.32 +/- 1.35 years) were enrolled from Haikou Special Education School (Haikou Province, China) and randomly assigned to either the TTM group or control group in a 1:1 ratio. Alongside their regular school routines, the TTM group underwent 16 sessions of 50-min TTM, twice weekly for 8 weeks. The control group continued their usual daily school routines. Intervention effects and parenting stress were measured using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist and Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition Short Form.ResultsThe TTM intervention had a significant positive impact on sociability (p = 0.001, partial & eng;2=0.168) and total scores (p = 0.009, partial & eng;2=0.103). Additionally, the TTM group had significantly reduced parental distress (p = 0.016, partial & eng;2=0.179), parent - child dysfunctional interaction scores (p = 0.008, partial & eng;2=0.206), and total scores (p = 0.001, partial & eng;2=0.179) post-intervention, with a significant rebound observed during the follow-up period.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that parent-delivered TTM can effectively improve certain autism symptoms and reduce parenting stress in the short-term. Incorporating parent-delivered massage into family-based interventions offers a convenient, effective, and personalized treatment option for families with limited access to alternative treatment resources.Trial registrationClinical Trials Registry Identifier: ChiCTR2100051355, 2021-09-21