Table 2.
Registered clinical trials on acupuncture in the treatment of ASD in China and United States.
| Trial name/number/status | Study design | Patient population and interventions | Outcome measures | Study execute time | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visualization of diffusion tensor imaging in acupuncture treatment of children with autism/ChiCTR2100047559/recruiting | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Control group:18 (SA) Experimental group:18 (MA) |
CARS, ABC1, AETC, Diffusion tensor imaging of nerve fiber bundles, Neuroelectrophysiological test | From June/2021 to June/2023 | China |
| Positive Regulation of the Social and Emotional Disorders and Brain-Gut Axis Mechanisms for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Jin’s 3 needle Technique/ChiCTR2000029357/not yet recruiting | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Jin’3 needle technique treatment group A: 138 (excluding gastrointestinal 3-needle) Jin’3 needle technique treatment group B: 138 (including gastrointestinal 3-needle) Control: 138 (conventional rehabilitation training) |
ADOS, Conners’ questionnaire, CARS, ABC1, BSID, WISC, Wexner score | From January/2020 to December/2023 | China |
| The efficacy of scalp acupuncture combined with TEACCH in rehabilitation of autism spectrum disorder/ChiCTR1900023247/not yet recruiting | Quasi-randomized controlled | Scalp acupuncture treatment group: 50 TEACCH group: 50 |
PEP-3 Autism Developmental Assessment Scale | From January/2018 to December/2019 | China |
| Methodological study on the evaluation of clinical characteristics and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders in Chinese medicine/ChiCTR2200056901/completed | Cohort study | Experimental group:1658 (Acupuncture combined with Conventional rehabilitation training) | CARS, Gesell Development Diagnosis Scale, ABC1, PEP-3 Autism Developmental Assessment Scale | From June/2020 to May/2022 | China |
| Effect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation at auricular concha on patients with autism spectrum disorder: a random-controlled trail study/ChiCTR-INR-17012642/recruiting | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Experimental group:20 (EA) Control group: not mentioned |
Cytokines, fMRI, AETC, CARS, The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Child Quality of Life, Neurotransmitters, Social Responsiveness Scale, Empathizing/Systemizing quotient, child version, WISC, Conners’ questionnaire, behavior teat | From March/2017 to March/2020 | China |
| Effects of acupuncture on the brain neurochemical substrate metabolism status in non-verbal autistic children/ChiCTR-IPR-17010558/recruiting | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Control group: 20 (N/A) Experimental group: 20 (MA) |
ABC1, RDLS, Gesell Development Diagnosis Scale or WISC-IV, MRS | From February/2017 to December/2018 | China |
| The brain functional promotion of auricular concha electro-acupuncture on children with autism spectrum disorder/ChiCTR-IOR-16010252/recruiting | Randomized Control Trial | Experimental group:100 (EA) Control group: not mentioned |
CARS, psycho-educational profile, fMRI | From January/2017 to December/2019 | China |
| Investigating the Use of Acupressure and Acupuncture With Children With Autism II/NCT00935701/completed | Single-arm trial without control | Experimental group:10 (Acupressure and MA) | Conners questionnaire, Change in Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Change in Parenting Stress Index | From July/2009 to February/2011 | United States |
| Randomized Control Trial of Using Acupuncture In Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorder/NCT00352352/completed | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Experimental group:15 (TA) Control group: 15 (not mentioned) |
RFRLS, WeeFIM, PSI, CGIS | Not provided | Hong Kong, China |
| Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture Versus Sham Acupuncture in Autistic Spectrum Disorder/NCT00352248/completed | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Experimental group:25 (TA) Control group: 25 (not mentioned) |
GMDS, RFRLS, RLDS, SPT, WeeFIM | Not provided | Hong Kong, China |
| Randomized Control Trial of Using Tongue Acupuncture in Autistic Spectrum Disorder Using PET Scan for Clinical Correlation/NCT00355329/completed | Randomized Control Trial (parallel) | Experimental group:15 (TA) Control group: 15 (not mentioned) |
ATEC, RLDS, SPT, WeeFIM, CGIS, PET | Not provided | Hong Kong, China |
| Use of Acupuncture in Autistic Spectrum Disorder/NCT00346736/completed | Randomized Control Trial (Crossover Assignment) | Acupuncture group: 40 (EA) Sham acupuncture group: 40 (EA) |
ABC1, RFRLS, WeeFIM, PEDI, RLDS, CGIS, SPT, Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised | From May/2005 to June/2006 | Hong Kong, China |
SA, sham acupuncture; MA, manual acupuncture; CARS, Childhood Autism Rating Scale; ABC1, Autism Behavior Checklist; AETC, Autism Efficacy Assessment Scale; ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; BSID, Bayley Scales of Infant Development; WISC, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; TEACCH, treatment and education for autistic and related communication handicapped children; RDLS, Reynell Developmental Language Scale; MRS, magnetic resonance spectrum; EA, electroacupuncture; fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging; TA, tongue acupuncture; RFRLS, Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Scale; WeeFIM, functional independence measure for children; PSI, Parental Stress Index; CGIS, Clinical Global Impression Scale; GMDS, Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale; SPT, symbolic play test; ATEC, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist; PET, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography; PEDI, Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory.