Study Says High Pressure Chambers Show Promise For Autistic Kids

A new study shows that hyperbaric oxygen treatment can help lessen the outward symptoms of autism. Dr. Daniel A. Rossignol of the international Child Development Resource Center in Melbourne, Fla., conducted the blind study of 62 children ranging in ages from two to seven.

After 40 one-hour treatments spanning four weeks, the group that received treatment showed improvements in receptive language, social interaction, and eye contact.

According to the article in HealthNews, Dr. Rossignol and the other participating physicians offer this kind of treatment in their practices. Dr. Rossignol is also father to two autistic children. All this leads me to believe that these doctors might be looking for a connection where there might not be one.

Not that I blame Dr. Rossignol. Autism is devastating, and any kind of treatment that offers hope of a reduction of symptoms seems worth trying, no matter how small the chance of real change. That’s why my sister just completed a series of treatments for her 10-year-old son, who’s autistic. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any change in Jonah. (Though my sister’s skin did look nice after sitting through the sessions with him.)

The doctors do mention their possible conflict of interest in the study, along with the hope that further research and testing will be done to find out if this treatment has any further potential for autistic kids.