Alternative approaches to autism in children

Autism affects physical and cognitive development in children as well as social, adaptive and emotional development, severely altering their perception of the world. Under such circumstances, children are obviously even more dependent on their parents or caregivers. As a consequence, parents and caregivers are under a lot more pressure and can be overwhelmed with the responsibilities of living with and caring for an autistic child or sibling. When despair and hopelessness take over, it's easy to clutch at straws hoping that there may be some way out. We've all been in situations like these, but for most of us, these moments of vulnerability are fleeting.

Parents with autistic children often look for answers outside of conventional medicine because of the limitations of mainstream medicine today. Their quest takes them beyond the realms of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization regulations and other government regulated medical practices into rather murky areas. While there are alternative medications and natural treatments that can be extremely effective and have even been proven to help with a number of health conditions, there are also unscrupulous practitioners who will exploit the naive and desperate. Before you buy into any kind of treatment, make sure you do thorough background checks and research.

Here are some promising alternative therapies for autism that are supported by medical research:

Music Therapy: Music truly is a higher power and it does in fact have a way of healing. Sociologists and psychologists alike have often suggested that music can be applied therapeutically. While music therapy was not found to produce any effects on overall behavior, there were demonstrable improvements in both spoken and gestural communication that make this an alternative worth exploring.

Yoga: With yoga being touted as a cure to pretty much every disease known to man, you can be excused for greeting the suggestion of yoga as an autism treatment with a healthy amount of skepticism. Yoga does have tremendous potential however, and yoga relaxation therapies have been found to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve focus in children with ADHD and other disorders. This is quite encouraging as its benefits could extend to autism as well.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: We all know that Omega 3 fatty Acids are great for our health, but do they really help with autism? Fatty acids are crucial to brain development and function and they may in fact help reduce some symptoms that are associated with autism. Some studies have suggested that fatty acids may lower repetitive behaviors and hyperactivity in children suffering from autism.

Melatonin: Insomnia is an extremely common problem among autistic children, along with various other sleep disorders. Our sleep cycle is regulated by the hormone melatonin and studies have shown that melatonin supplementation in autistic children can help considerably. In the context of autism, melatonin can be particularly useful as improvements in sleep can help reduce other symptoms that are associated with the condition.

Other alternative treatments for autism that are popular include chelation and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. As popular as these treatments may be, there is little evidence to support them. Most studies have in fact discredited these treatments and chelation has at times even resulted in fatalities. It's important that you don't abandon conventional treatment each time you stumble upon an alternative, as even the best of these treatments are usually most helpful when used in combination with conventional care. Always be cautious about the alternative treatment you're interested in, because if there haven't been adequate studies, your child could be an unwitting 'test subject'.

Image source: Getty images

You may also like to read:

• 6 historical geniuses with autism
• Ten things your student with autism wishes you knew
• 10 misconceptions about children with autism busted!

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References:

Gold C, Wigram T, Elefant C. Music therapy for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Apr 19;(2):CD004381. Review. PubMed PMID: 16625601.

Jensen PS, Kenny DT. The effects of yoga on the attention and behavior of boys with Attention-Deficit/ hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).J AttenDisord. 2004 May;7(4):205-16. PubMed PMID: 15487477.

Amminger GP, Berger GE, Sch fer MR, Klier C, Friedrich MH, Feucht M. Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in children with autism: a double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Feb 15;61(4):551-3. Epub 2006 Aug 22. PubMed PMID: 16920077.

Andersen IM, Kaczmarska J, McGrew SG, Malow BA. Melatonin for insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders. J Child Neurol. 2008 May;23(5):482-5. doi: 10.1177/0883073807309783. Epub 2008 Jan 8. PubMed PMID: 18182647.