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Can massage therapy help children with autism? a new trial investigates

NCT ID NCT04220086

Symptom relief Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether pediatric massage can improve behavior and social skills in children aged 3 to 10 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children receive massage twice a week for 12 weeks from a professional, plus at-home massage from trained parents. Researchers also use brain scans to see if massage changes brain activity linked to autism symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
pediatric massage therapy
What this could lead to
If effective, pediatric massage could offer a non-drug option to help manage autism symptoms and improve daily functioning.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with 78 children, so results may not apply to all. The massage is added to usual care, making it hard to isolate its effect.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

78 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2021

Finished

Dec 2022

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

3 to 10 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been diagnosed and a diagnosis certificate has been provided. The diagnostic criteria is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth version (DSM-V) criteria of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Score of CARS≥30; 2. Aged 3-10, right-handedness ； 3. The parents (or other legal guardians) of participants to give consent and to cooperate with the treatment and data collection. Exclusion Criteria: 1. The conventional treatment accepted currently does not belong to the following three categories: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Educational intervention or Interpersonal development intervention; 2. Patients with any major treatment changes within 4 weeks prior to joining the study; 3. Patients or their parents with other neurodevelopmental disorders, severe psychiatric diseases, genetic disease, or other severe systemic disease (such as history of severe head trauma, or stroke); 4. Seizure within the last year prior to enrolment, or the need for seizure medications either at present or in the past; 5. Being involved in other clinical trials; 6. Patients received pediatric massage therapy in the past two months, or are receiving pediatric massage; 7. During the study period, parents will be required not to initiate any new interventions or modify current interventions unless absolutely necessary. If a change must be made, the parent is required to inform investigator, who decides whether the subject should stop participating in the study based on situation.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

autism spectrum disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Autism spectrum disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital

    Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518053, China

  • Shenzhen Children's Hospital

    Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518038, China

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.