Effect of acupuncture treatment in a schoolgirl with Asperger's disorder

Abstract

[Objective]Asperger's disorder, one of autism, is characterized by a limited radius of interest and activities and also difficulty in mutual social relationships. We treated a girl who developed school refusal due to general fatigue by directing our attention to the background of forming a symbiotic relationship with her mother, who had symptoms of depression. The symptoms of the both patients were improved by acupuncture treatment.
[Case]A 12-year-old girl complained of general fatigue. Since May X (year), the patient had complained of general fatigue and had started refusing to attend school. In August, she consulted the psychiatry department and was diagnosed with Asperger's disorder. While receiving educational counseling by the city, she started undergoing acupuncture treatment from May X+1 (year). Prior to that treatment, her mother, who had complaints of joint pain due to pustulosis palmaris and depression, had started acupuncture treatment in September X (year). We applied acupuncture treatment once in 1-2 weeks with the aim of tonifying the heart and spleen, and unblocking yang, the governor vessel. We conducted fact-finding on the spot in minute detail for both patients. We asked them to use a categorical scale and provide scores for symptoms, particularly body (general) fatigue, feeling of sound sleep, glow of hands and feet, headache and dejection.
[Result]We performed acupuncture treatment 28 times over 11 months and symptoms were a 30-50%improvement. The girl became able to go to classes for school-refusing children, which is managed autonomously, and also attended school events. Her mother's symptoms also scored similarly and stabilized.
[Conclusion]The symptoms of the patient were related to the condition of her mother and also physical and mental imbalances due to adolescence. We concluded that acupuncture treatment for both the mother and girl improved the symbiotic relationship between mother and child, providing success in both acupuncture effects and countenancing acceptance.