Effect of sling-exercise-therapy training on childhood autism

Abstract

To study the efficacy of conventional treatment supplemented with Sling-Exercise-Therapy on childhood Autism. 24 autistic children aging from 3 to 6 years old were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. After an observation period of two months, the two groups' scores of autism behavior checklist (ABC) and the total score were reduced. Compared with the control group, there were significant differences in the three factor scores, including sensation, body movement and communication, and the ABC total scores (P < 0.05). Although the factor scores of two groups' language ability and self-care ability were decreased, there was no significant difference within or between groups before and after training (P > 0.05). Each factor score and total scores of sensory integration were increased in varying degrees, but the experimental group's increased more (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). After intervention, there was a significant difference between groups on two factor scores and total scores of proprioception and vestibular imbalance (P < 0.05). Although the score of learning ability was increased after intervention, there is no discrepancy in the statistics. The treatment method of conventional treatment combined with sling-exercise-therapy presents a satisfied effect to childhood autism. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.