Massage Therapy

Hello, Im a Licensed Massage Therapist that has been working with people with Autism and other developmental disabilities for close to 20 years. About 3 years ago (after my 2 years of schooling) I started doing massage therapy on many individuals with Autism and have had great success in a multitude of ways. I was wondering if anyone has tried it for people they know with Autism or heard of any success storys with massage and those with Autism. I find it to be a great addition or alternitive to traditional practices. Thanks and Be Well!

Claude, I definitely used massage on my son when he was a toddler and up until recently. (He's 12 now.) He has Asperger's, and was always what the OTs called "hyposensitive". He always sought out deep pressure and hard impact --he liked to be rolled up in a blanket, body slammed people, etc. So...massage for us was a type of sensory integration therapy. It definitely helped him to calm himself down and get back his emotional balance.

When my daughter is very tense or agitated, she responds to having lotion massaged into her hands or feet. I learned the strategy from the occupational therapist who worked with her at school to help my daughter so be calm and focused enough to participate in learning activities. It is still very helpful now that she is an adult.