A chinese mind-body exercise improves self-control of children with autism: a randomized controlled trial

Self-control problems commonly manifest as temper outbursts and repetitive/rigid/impulsive behaviors, in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which often contributes to learning difficulties and caregiver burden. The present study aims to compare the effect of a traditional Chinese Chan-ba...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2013-07, Vol.8 (7), p.e68184-e68184
Main Authors: Chan, Agnes S, Sze, Sophia L, Siu, Nicolson Y, Lau, Eliza M, Cheung, Mei-Chun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Autism
Behavior
Behavior Control - psychology
Brain
Brain research
Child
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - therapy
Children
Clinical trials
Cognitive ability
Cognitive Therapy
Cortex (cingulate)
EEG
Exercise Therapy - methods
Female
Group dynamics
Humans
Intervention
Juvenile delinquency
Laboratories
Male
Martial arts
Medicine
Medicine, Chinese Traditional - methods
Mental depression
Mind-Body Therapies
Muscle contraction
Muscles
Neurophysiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuropsychology
Nutrition research
Outbursts
Psychology
Rehabilitation
Self awareness
Self control
Self Efficacy
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Studies
Treatment Outcome
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Self-control problems commonly manifest as temper outbursts and repetitive/rigid/impulsive behaviors, in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which often contributes to learning difficulties and caregiver burden. The present study aims to compare the effect of a traditional Chinese Chan-based mind-body exercise, Nei Yang Gong, with that of the conventional Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) technique in enhancing the self-control of children with ASD. Forty-six age- and IQ-matched ASD children were randomly assigned to receive group training in Nei Yang Gong (experimental group) or PMR (control group) twice per week for four weeks. The participants' self-control was measured by three neuropsychological tests and parental rating on standardized questionnaires, and the underlying neural mechanism was assessed by the participants' brain EEG activity during an inhibitory-control task before and after intervention. The results show that the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in self-control than the control group, which concurs with the parental reports of reduced autistic symptoms and increased control of temper and behaviors. In addition, the experimental group showed enhanced EEG activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region that mediates self-control, whereas the PMR group did not. The present findings support the potential application of Chinese Chan-based mind-body exercises as a form of neuropsychological rehabilitation for patients with self-control problems. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; Registration No.: ChiCTR-TRC-12002561; URL: www.chictr.org.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0068184