Effects of Qigong Sensory Training on Sensory Modulation and Behavior in Children With Autism

December 29, 2025 updated by: Riphah International University

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and a range of repetitive behaviors. Among these challenges, sensory processing abnormalities are highly prevalent, manifesting as hyper- or hypo-sensitivity to sensory stimuli, and can significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life. In sensory modulation there are difficulties in regulating and responding appropriately to sensory input from the environment. Sensory modulation can have a significant impact on the daily lives of individuals with autism, affecting their ability to engage in various activities and navigate social interactions. Autistic children also have repetitive behaviors, such as repetitive actions like self-stimulation behavior, or stimming. These behaviors can involve one part of the body, the entire body or an object. QST in which deep pressure with thumb apply on head, neck, trunk and limbs along deep breathing which give relaxation to body and have effect on sensory modulation and behavior in children with Autism. The intended project aims to evaluate the sensory modulation and behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through Qigong Sensory Training (QST).

A quasi-Experimental study will be conduct to evaluate the effect of QST on the sensory modulation and behavior of autistic children. 21 Participants will be included in the study with age of 4-12 years diagnosed with ASD. Participants will be received 15 mints massage therapy 2 times in a day and 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Before and after 8 week of intervention, Assessment of sensory modulation scale (ASMS) will be used to check the sensory modulation level and strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) will be used to check the behavior. Data will be collected from Nishtar Hospital Multan. The pre and post intervention assessments will be done. The reliability and validity of tools are mentioned. The duration of study will be 10-months. Data will be analyzed with the help of SPSS 25.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

26

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Multan Khurd, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 60000
        • Nishtar Medical University, Multan

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 4 to12 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
  • Male and Female will be included in study.
  • Parental/guardian consent to participate in the study.
  • Children do not receive any other intervention therapy during study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with severe physical disabilities that significantly impair their ability to participate in touch-based interventions, as determined by a qualified healthcare provider.
  • Children diagnosed with severe psychiatric conditions other than autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including but not limited to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe anxiety disorders.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Qigong sensory training
Participants will be received 15 mints massage therapy 2 times in a day and 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Before and after 8 week of intervention, Assessment of sensory modulation scale (ASMS) will be used to check the sensory modulation level and strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) will be used to check the behavior. Data will be collected from Nishtar Hospital Multan. The pre and post intervention assessments will be done.
Other: Qigong sensory training
Participants will be received 15 mints massage therapy 2 times in a day and 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Before and after 8 week of intervention, Assessment of sensory modulation scale (ASMS) will be used to check the sensory modulation level and strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) will be used to check the behavior. Data will be collected from Nishtar Hospital Multan. The pre and post intervention assessments will be done.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Assessment of sensory modulation scale (ASMS)
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
The 141 items in the ASMS comprise 3 scales of 30, 30 and 21 items in these scales. First 30 items consist question of sensory over-responsive (SOR) and second 30 items consist questions of sensory under-responsive (SUR) and third 21 items consist questions of sensory seeking (SS) these all items use to evaluate children with mental, behavioural and neuro-developmental disorders, the cut of values of this questionnaire is given here. The participant will be given 1 score of each item if they answer "Yes" and will be given 2 score if they answer "No", the total score of 1ST & 2ND items SOR and SUR are 60. Minimum score, less than 30 show SOR and maximum score, greater than 30 show SUR and in 3rd item score less than 21 show SS.
Baseline and 8 weeks
Strength and difficulty questionnaire (SDQ)
Time Frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
"Strengths and Difficulties" Parent and Teacher reported questionnaire for children aged 04-17 years is a behavioral measuring tool. The SDQ includes 25 items that examine a range of 'strengths and difficulties' as behavioral indicators of probable mental health disorders. The items contribute to 5 subscales, each with 5 items and a minimum score ranging from 0 (lowest score) to 10 (highest score): conduct difficulties, hyperactivity/inattention, emotional signs, problems with peers, and social conduct. The sum of the first 4 subscales yields a total difficulty score that ranges from 0 to 40
Baseline and 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Muhammad Yousaf, MSPT(Peads), Riphah International University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 17, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 19, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 24, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 29, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR/AHS/24/0738

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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