Hyperbaric Treatment For Autistic Children Proves Promising

A new study shows autism may be improved by using hyperbaric oxygen chambers. What is still not known about it yet, is whether the promising outcomes are lasting.

This is the first study of autistic children and hyperbaric oxygen chambers using a tightly monitored group. Researchers from BioMed Pediatrics gathered 62 children from different centers who had been diagnosed with autism, from ages two to seven, and gave them 40 hours worth of oxygen treatments. The results were surprisingly good. 80% improved, while the other 8% in the control group showed no difference. It is not known yet whether or not the improvements this brought about in social development, cognitive behavior, language skills, and eye contact are long term, or if they are short term treatments that would have to be done frequently. Research Autism physician Richard Mills says this has to be approached carefully.

“We know this kind of therapy is useful in a number of neurological conditions and that’s been well established. What we don’t know is how useful it is in autism, what we could be seeing is an improvement in other neurological conditions that go alongside autism. We also don’t know about long-term effects - it could be a transitory effect.”

One theory of why this works is that oxygen can help reduce inflammation and improve flow of oxygen to brain tissue.. Hyperbaric treatment, which in effect is giving high concentrations of oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure - has been shown to have some benefit in other neurological conditions such as foetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy. Study leader Dr. Dan Rossignol from the International Child Development Resource Centre in Florida warns that much more research is needed.

“ We're certainly not talking about a cure, we're talking about improvements in behaviour, improving certain functions and quality of life ”

Dr. Rossignol, who is the father of two autistic sons, says the use of hyperbaric therapy for autism has been gaining popularity in the U.S. where parents can buy their own hyperbaric chamber for $14 to $17,000, cheaper if you find one that's used. Professor Philip James, an expert in hyperbaric medicine at the University of Dundee, said the pressure is no more than that used to pressurise an aircraft cabin on the ground. But he warns that the procedure may not be for all autistic children and adults.

"When you have any condition, there are people who have too much damage to get better. All the oxygen is doing is bringing things towards normal."