Effectiveness of Fabric Weaving Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Waitlist-Controlled Trial.

Researchers tested whether fabric weaving could help autistic children. 23 children aged 8-16 years did weekly weaving activities with their parents for 6 months - first at the hospital, then at home. Children who did weaving showed better autism symptoms and quality of life compared to children who waited. When the waiting children got to try weaving, they improved too. The study suggests weaving might be a helpful activity for autistic children.

This randomized waitlist-controlled trial evaluated traditional Thai fabric weaving therapy in 23 autistic children aged 7.8-16.6 years. Participants received weekly weaving sessions for 6 months (3 months hospital-based, 3 months home-based). The intervention group showed significant improvements in autism symptoms (CARS-2) and quality of life (PedsQL) after 3 months compared to the waitlist control group. When the waitlist group subsequently received the intervention, they also demonstrated significant improvements.

After all participants completed 6 months of weaving therapy, significant pre-post improvements were observed in both outcome measures. The study suggests weaving therapy may be an effective complementary intervention for improving clinical symptoms and quality of life in autistic children.

Traditional fabric weaving therapy shows promise as a complementary intervention for autistic children, improving both clinical symptoms and quality of life. The parent-child collaborative approach and progression from supervised to home-based practice may enhance engagement and skill generalization. However, larger studies are needed before clinical implementation.

Very small sample size (n=23) limits generalizability. Single-center study design. No information provided about blinding procedures or potential bias control. Follow-up period limited to intervention duration with no long-term outcome assessment. Cultural specificity of traditional Thai weaving may affect broader applicability.

To evaluate the effectiveness of weaving therapy on clinical outcomes and quality of life of autistic children.Randomized waitlist-controlled trial.Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital.Twenty-three autistic children.Weaving therapy was performed weekly for 6 months (3 months for hospital-based intervention and 3 months for home-based intervention).Childhood Autism Rating Scale-second edition (CARS-2) and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were measured at preintervention, 3 and 6 months postintervention.Twenty-three autistic children, aged 7.8-16.6 years, were randomized into an intervention group ( = 11) and a 3-month waitlist period group ( = 12). Ten weaving sessions were performed by the children, along with their parents, weekly for 3 months in hospital, and continued at home for an additional 3 months. The weaving therapy was delayed for 3 months in the waitlist group, followed by a 6-month intervention as the intervention group.There was significant improvement on CARS-2 ( < 0.01) and PedsQL scores ( < 0.01) in the intervention group after the first 3-month weaving therapy. Meanwhile, in the waitlist group, no significant difference was found on CARS-2 ( = 0.09) and PedsQL scores ( = 0.26) during no weaving period.

After the waitlist group began weaving therapy for 3 months, the authors found a significant improvement on both CARS-2 and PedsQL scores ( < 0.01both). Between-group comparisons showed that the intervention group had significant improvement on CARS-2 ( = 0.002) and PedsQL ( < 0.001) after 3-month weaving comparing with the waitlist group. After all the 23 participants finished a 6-month weaving therapy, there was significant difference in CARS-2 ( < 0.001) and PedsQL scores ( < 0.001) between pre- and postintervention.These findings suggest that traditional Thai fabric weaving therapy, as an alternative and complementary intervention, appears to be an effective therapy in improving the clinical symptoms and quality of life among autistic children. Clinical Trial Registration number: TCTR20200420002.