Recent studies in the medical world, on autism symptoms and autism treatment, brings not only hope, but actual help, to families with autistic children. Lead physician and researcher, Daniel Rossignol, M.D., treats children with autism. Seeing his patients improve with hyperbaric oxygen treatment led him to conduct the first large scale, double-blind, controlled study to examine the effectiveness hyperbarics for autism treatment . And, the results of this study demonstrate positive improvements.
What happens in the HBOT Chamber
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy traditionally involves inhaling up to 100% oxygen at a pressure greater than 1 atmosphere (atm) in a pressurized chamber. In the first randomized, controlled, double-blind multicenter trial, published in BMC Pediatrics and entitled “Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.” Dr. Rossignol and colleagues, from 6 centers in the USA, studied 62 children, aged 2-7 years, to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in children showing autism symptoms.
The research trial concludes that children with autism who received hyperbarics for autism treatment in HBOT Chambers at 1.3 atmospheres and 24% oxygen for 40 hourly sessions had significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory/cognitive awareness compared to children who received slightly pressurized room air.
The children were randomly assigned to either 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen (treatment group) or slightly pressurized room air at 1.03 atm and 21% oxygen (non-treatment group). Clinical outcomes were evaluated by three different scales: the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC).
Dr. Rossignol said, “In our study, we observed significant improvements in several core autistic behaviors with the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment at 1.3 atm compared to children receiving near-placebo treatment. These findings confirm what we are seeing in clinical practice–that many children with autism may benefit with the use of this treatment.”
