Qigong massage during a meltdown

I would like to share a moment in which I was able to witness the impact of Qigong massage.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the children with ASD was having a very difficult time at home due to several major changes. These affected him so strongly that he became highly dysregulated. Starting the day already at such an elevated stress level meant that even small triggers in class would upset him, leading to intense meltdowns that lasted a long time and were very difficult to resolve. In addition to crying, he would pinch, hit, and kick others, which made the situation particularly challenging in the classroom. His mother also struggled to calm him.
One day at the centre, he experienced an even more intense meltdown than usual during class. The situation escalated further at snack time, when the children went outside to eat. He became increasingly distressed and was unable to calm himself. Neither time in the sensory room nor running on the treadmill had any regulating effect.
I was in the physio room and, after hearing him cry for more than five minutes, went to see if I could help.
Fortunately, he was willing to come into the physio room. As usual, he would have needed to take off his shoes because of the mats, but this time he refused. Although he clearly wanted to enter and understood the rule, he seemed unable to comply. Since this is typically not an issue for him, I suspected that his feet might have been particularly sensitive that day and that being without shoes felt overwhelming.
I knew from previous experience that applying firm pressure to his chest can help him regulate. I stood behind him and placed my hands on his chest, providing deep, steady pressure as used in Qigong massage. This began to calm him slightly, although he still intermittently tried to pinch me, which understandably upset his mother. I chose not to react and continued the deep-pressure input.
After about three minutes, he gradually calmed down and stopped crying. I then slowly sat down and held him on my lap, maintaining the deep pressure. With one hand, I gently held his foot and applied slow, firm pressure through his Crocs, as practiced in Qigong massage. After about a minute, I was able to remove his shoe, which he now tolerated, as his sensitivity had decreased.
I then guided his mother to do the same with the other foot. She also began tapping his legs rhythmically from the hips down to the feet, which further supported his regulation. Throughout the process, we spoke to him in a calm and soothing manner.
After about ten minutes, he appeared significantly more settled, and we were able to move into the physio room. There, he began playing with the marble run—which, interestingly, is still in use since the Down Syndrome Day activities.
His mother then asked if they could have their snack in the physio room, as he seemed much calmer there and she was concerned that leaving the space might trigger another escalation. I agreed. However, he initially struggled to sit still and repeatedly got up and wandered around. I again applied gentle, firm pressure to his chest while sitting with him, and we offered him his snack. With this support, he was able to remain seated, relax, and focus on eating.
This experience once again demonstrated to me how effective Qigong massage techniques can be in helping children regulate when they feel overwhelmed in their bodies and highly stressed. His mother was also amazed at how much these interventions helped him calm down and how successfully snack time concluded.
For those interested—whether professionals or parents—here is a link to further information and training in Qigong massage: https://www.qsti.org/