Autism and Mind–Body Therapies: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Mind-body therapies are often used by people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, there has been little examination into which types of mind-body therapies have been investigated for people with ASD and for what purposes. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the existing evidence for mind-body therapies for people with ASD, particularly to determine the types of mind-body therapies used and the outcomes that are targeted. METHODS: PubMed, PsychInfo, and Scopus were searched using terms for ASD and mind-body therapies. Sixteen studies were selected for review; these studies tested interventions using mindfulness, meditation, yoga, Nei Yang Gong, and acceptance commitment therapy. Most study outcomes targeted behavior, psychological symptoms, and quality of life for children and adults with ASD as well as their parents. RESULTS: There was little overlap between studies on the types of mind-body therapies used and associated outcomes, and only three of the studies were randomized controlled trials. Most studies were small and uncontrolled. Some studies modified the mind-body therapies to increase accessibility for people with ASD. CONCLUSION: The evidence for mind-body therapies for people with ASD is limited and would benefit from larger randomized controlled trials.
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Emerging evidence suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may enhance stress regulation and coping with stress in autistic adults.
“Emerging evidence suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may enhance stress regulation and coping with stress in autistic adults (Hourston & Atchley, 2017; White et al., 2018).”
From Mindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context. (2024) · cites this paper as Hourston & Atchley, 2017
The Discussion reports that an autism-adapted mindfulness intervention improved anxiety, depression, and rumination in adults with ASD. Those findings support a cautious claim of mental-health benefit, but the review does not report improved stress regulation or coping with stress in autistic adults specifically; its discussion of stress outcomes concerns adolescents. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredNeeds and preferences among autistic adults include the utilization of written communication, elimination of metaphors from treatment materials, reduction of sensory overload as well as a stronger focus on behavioral rather than cognitive mechanisms within the intervention.
“Needs and preferences among autistic adults include the utilization of written communication, elimination of metaphors from treatment materials, reduction of sensory overload as well as a stronger focus on behavioral rather than cognitive mechanisms within the intervention (Hourston & Atchley, 2017; Nicolaidis et al., 2015; White et al., 2018).”
From Mindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context. (2024) · cites this paper as Hourston & Atchley, 2017
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA small number of studies have investigated mindfulness-based interventions for autistic adults with preliminary results indicating improved well-being and quality of life.
“A small number of studies have investigated mindfulness-based interventions for autistic adults with preliminary results indicating improved well-being and quality of life (Cachia et al., 2016; Hourston & Atchley, 2017; White et al., 2018).”
From Mindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context. (2024) · cites this paper as Hourston & Atchley, 2017
The Discussion reports improved anxiety, depression, and rumination in adults with ASD after an autism-adapted mindfulness intervention; the Results also report improved positive affect. However, the review discusses quality-of-life findings for children and adolescents, not autistic adults, so that part of the claim is not supported for the stated population. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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References 28 · Cited by 67
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- Authors
- Hourston, S., & Atchley, R.
- Affiliations
- National University of Natural Medicine (US)
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hourston, Sarah
- Atchley, Rachel
- ORCID
- Atchley, Rachel
- Venue
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-05
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 331-339
- ISSN
- 1075-5535 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-7708
- PMC
- PMC5446600
- OpenAlex
- W2601387853
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 0.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, mind-body interventions, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, acceptance and commitment therapy, behavioral effects, psychological symptoms, quality of life, parents of autistic children, evidence base
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Humans, Yoga, Asperger Syndrome, Mind-Body Therapies, Mindfulness
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