Use and Perceived Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Treat and Manage the Symptoms of Autism in Children: A Survey of Parents in a Community Population.

Objective: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often try a variety of treatments for their children, including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The objective of this study was to improve understanding of the frequency of CAM use by parents for their children with autism and to quantify the parents' perceived effectiveness of various CAM therapies in mitigating the health and functioning problems associated with autism.

Methods: Parents in southeastern Virginia were recruited for study participation from local autism organizations and a clinical practice where a large proportion of the patients are children with autism.

Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

Background: Several uncontrolled studies of hyperbaric treatment in children with autism have reported clinical improvements; however, this treatment has not been evaluated to date with a controlled study. We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric treatment in children with autism.

Methods: 62 children with autism recruited from 6 centers, ages 2-7 years (mean 4.