Children with
autism spectrum disorder showed significant improvement in their
overall functioning, receptive language, eye contact,
sensory/cognitive awareness and social interactions with hyperbaric
oxygen treatment. Dr. Daniel A. Rossignol, the lead author of the
study and father of two autistic children, published these results
in the March 2009 issue of the open-access internet journal BioMed
Central Pediatrics.
What is
Hyperbaric Oxygen and Why Does it Help Brain Disorders?
Room air is 21% oxygen at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. Prior studies
on autism had children inhaling up to 100% oxygen at pressures up to
2.0 atmospheres. It is hypothesized that higher than normal
concentration of oxygen inhaled at higher than average pressures
helps increase blood flow and decrease inflammation in the brain. It
may also aid autism by helping the immune system work better.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy with 24 % Oxygen at 1.3 Atmospheres of
Pressure helped Children with Autism
Dr. Rossignol and colleagues studied 59 children aged 2-7 with
documented autism spectrum disorder. Thirty children received 40
hourly treatments with 24% oxygen at 1.3 atmospheres of pressure.
Twenty-nine additional children with autism were used as the
untreated group (control group). 1.3 atmospheres is 30 % higher
pressure than at sea level and is roughly equivalent to being
submerged in 10 feet of water. The children receiving placebo
treatment were placed in a hyperbaric chamber and received room air
(21 % oxygen) at 1.03 atmospheres.
80% of children in the treatment arm improved, compared to 28% of
children in the placebo group. Traditionally, there is a significant
placebo response in a autism studies, because families have a strong
desire to find a treatment that helps their children.
Validated autism scales were used to rate the children's responses.
Utilizing the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), children with
hyperbaric oxygen treatment improved in repetitive movements,
irritability, speech and hyperactivity. On the Autism Treatment
Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), sensory/cognitive awareness improved.
On the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), overall improvement
and improvement in eye contact was noted. Children with the mildest
cases of autism and children older than 5 years of age benefited
most from hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Read more at Suite101: Hyperbaric Oxygen Improves Autism in
Children: Autism helped by 24% Oxygen inhaled at 1.3 atmospheres of
pressure.
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