Parents' Use of Complementary Health Approaches for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (original) (raw)
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Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may elect to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments with their children in place of, or in addition to, conventional treatments. CAM treatments are controversial and understudied and, for most, the efficacy has not been established. The current study (n = 248) examined reports (via an internet survey) from parents of children with an ASD, asking of CAM usage, recommendation sources, expectations, costs, parent-rated assessments of efficacy, and reasons for stopping use of CAMs. Over 70% had tried at least one CAM treatment with their child, and about half were currently using one or more CAMs. Parents entered treatment with high expectations, although they varied considerably in their assessment of whether CAMs helped their child. Odds ratios of parent-rated efficacy give small leaning toward improvement over non-improvement for CAM treatments. The findings highlight the need for methodologically sound re...
Background: Complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM) treatments are becoming widely used as an adjunct to conventional medical treatment for many conditions. CAM treatments are often recommended by several ASD advocacy organizations as potential components of an overall treatment plan and families of children with ASD may be exposed to CAM treatments through various media outlets. Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of CAM treatments in a large ASD registry, and identify factors associated with the use of CAM treatments. Methods: Children and adolescents with a diagnosis of ASD (autism, Asperger disorder, or PDD-NOS) confirmed by ADOS, age 2 – 18 years were enrolled into the Autism Treatment Network (ATN) Registry which collects data on children with ASD at 14 sites across the US and Canada. Upon entry into the registry, parents completed a medical history questionnaire including use of CAM treatments, GI symptom inventory, Child Sleep Health Q...
Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2014
Objective: To compare the utilization of conventional treatments and utilization of complementary and alternative medicine in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD). Methods: Participants were 578 children who were part of an ongoing population-based, case-control study of 2-to 5-year olds with ASD, DD, and the general population. Parents completed an interview on past and current services. Results: Four hundred fifty-three children with ASD and 125 DD children were included. ASD families received more hours of conventional services compared with DD families (17.8 vs 11; p < .001). The use of psychotropic medications was low in both groups (approximately 3%). Overall, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use was not significantly different in ASD (39%) versus DD (30%). Hispanic families in both groups used CAM less often than non-Hispanic families. Variables such as level of function, immunization status, and the presence of an identified neurogenetic disorder were not predictive of CAM use. A higher level of parental education was associated with an increased CAM use in ASD and DD. Families who used >20 hours per week of conventional services were more likely to use CAM, including potentially unsafe or disproven CAM. Underimmunized children were marginally more likely to use CAM but not more likely to have received potentially unsafe or disproven CAM. Conclusion: Use of CAM is common in families of young children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and it is predicted by higher parental education and non-Hispanic ethnicity but not developmental characteristics. Further research should address how health care providers can support families in making decisions about CAM use.
Background: Families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) frequently engage in the use of complementary and alternative Medicine(CAM). Little information is available about frequency/types of CAM used in an inner city, ethnically diverse population and associations with specific child co-morbid symptoms or parental stress. Objectives: To examine the use of CAM therapy in a group of families of children with ASD and to assess the relationship of CAM with feeding, gastrointestinal, sleeping and behavioral problems and parent stress. Methods: Cross sectional study with structured interview in 50 children with ASD and 50 children with other developmental disabilities(DD), matched by age and gender. Interview included: CAM questionnaire, Gastrointestinal (GI) Questionnaire, Child's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Aberrant Behavior Checklist and Parenting Stress Index. Statistical analysis included chi-square, t test, and Logistic Regression. Results: To date we have recruited 5...
European journal of pediatrics, 2015
This study examined the prevalence and correlates of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) < 7 years in 18 European countries (N = 1,680). Forty-seven percent of parents reported having tried any CAM approach in the past 6 months. Diets and supplements were used by 25 % of the sample and mind-body practices by 24 %; other unconventional approaches were used by 25 % of the families, and a minority of parents reported having tried any invasive or potentially harmful approach (2 %). Parents in Eastern Europe reported significantly higher rates of CAM use. In the total sample, children with lower verbal ability and children using prescribed medications were more likely to be receiving diets or supplements. Concurrent use of high levels of conventional psychosocial intervention was significantly associated with use of mind-body practices. Higher parental educational level also increased the likelihood of both...
Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2017
Background and Objectives-Complementary health approaches (CHA) are widely used among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As part of shared treatment decisionmaking, healthcare providers are encouraged to discuss CHA with parents of children with ASD. Yet prior research suggests that parents often do not disclose CHA used for children, and their reasons for nondisclosure are poorly understood. We, therefore, aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to parent disclosure of CHA used for children with ASD. Design and Setting-In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 parents who reported that they were currently using CHA for their child's ASD in Denver, Colorado or Portland, Oregon. Results-We used content analysis to identify six main themes indicating that the following factors play a role in disclosure: parents' drive to optimize their child's health, parent self-efficacy discussing CHA with healthcare providers, parent beliefs about the effectiveness of CHA, parentprovider relationship quality, provider attitudes and knowledge regarding CHA and ASD, and visit characteristics. Conclusions-Study findings suggest that family and health system factors, together, influence parent disclosure of CHA used for children with ASD. Multifaceted intervention concurrently targeting the CHA-related knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy of parents whose children have been recently diagnosed with ASD, in addition to the CHA-related attitudes and knowledge of their healthcare providers may promote disclosure and shared treatment decision-making about the use of CHA.
Neurotherapeutics, 2010
This review focuses on helping clinicians identify resources and develop strategies they may use to effectively negotiate safe and effective use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments with families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. Since new types of CAM continue to be introduced into the autism community, emphasis is placed on providing clinicians with tools to help families negotiate the myriad of available treatments and make decisions based on current safety and efficacy data, while remaining mindful of the reasons families may be considering these treatments.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2013
Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use appears to be increasing in children with developmental disorders. However, it is not clear whether parents perceive their healthcare providers as resources who are knowledgeable about CAM therapies and are interested in further developing their knowledge. Objectives: (1) To establish and compare use of, and perceived satisfaction with, traditional medicine and CAM in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and (2) to assess parental perceptions of physician knowledge of CAM and physician interest in continuing education about CAM for the two groups of parents. Methods: Families of children with a diagnosis of ADHD or ASD were surveyed regarding the frequency of use of traditional treatment and CAM, parental perceptions of the helpfulness of each therapy, parental perceptions regarding physicians' knowledge level about CAM, and physician interest in continuing education. Results: Thirty-six percent (n = 135) of 378 surveys were returned: 41 contained a diagnosis of ADHD and 22 of ASD. Traditional therapies were used by 98% of children with ADHD and 100% of those with ASD. Perceived helpfulness of medication was 92% for children with ADHD and 60% for children with ASD (p < 0.05). CAM was used for 19.5% of children with ADHD and 82% of children with ASD. Perceived satisfaction for any form of CAM in the children with ADHD was at an individual patient level. Satisfaction for two of the most commonly used CAM treatments in children with ASD ranged from 50% to 78%. In children with ASD (the diagnostic group with the highest use of and satisfaction with CAM), physician's perceived knowledge of CAM was lower (14% versus 38%; p < 0.05), as was perceptions of the physician's interest in learning more (p < 0.05). Conclusion: CAM use is significant, especially in children with ASD. Physicians are not perceived as a knowledgeable resource.
Journal of Autism, 2014
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). No study has examined individual, family and clinical characteristics associated with CAM use. Methods: Parents of 169 Australian children with a clinical diagnosis of ASD completed a questionnaire about socio-demographics, medical history and CAM use. Children were administered the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Results: The majority (54%) of this sample had used CAM. Fish oil was the most common type of CAM administered (48% of total sample) and the most common reason for CAM use was to ameliorate noncore ASD symptoms such as hyperactivity and irritability. Chi-square analyses identified no differences between CAM and non-CAM users in gender, age of child, age at diagnosis, parental age at birth, parental education, ethnicity or family income. No group differences in the proportion of children classified with different ASD, based on clinical diagnosis and ADOS severity scores were observed. CAM users (37%) were more likely than non-CAM users (22%) to take psychotropic medication (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study provided evidence for high rate of CAM use in an Australian paediatric ASD population, similar to other countries. CAM use was not associated with core ASD deficits. There is a clear need for robust evidence to determine complex influencing factors on CAM uptake and its efficacy on ASD core and non-core symptoms with a view to assist with parental informed decisions and clinical guidelines. Citation: Granich J, Hunt A, Ravine D, Wray J and Whitehouse AJO. High use of complementary and alternative medication among children with autism is not associated with the severity of core symptoms. J Autism. 2014; 1:4. http://dx.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 2008
Complementary and alternative medical treatments are commonly used for children with autism spectrum disorders. This review discusses the evidence supporting the most frequently used treatments, including categories of mind-body medicine, energy medicine, biologically based, manipulative and body-based practices, with the latter two the most commonly selected by families. It is important for clinical providers to understand the evidence for efficacy (or lack thereof) and potential side effects. Some CAM practices have evidence to reject their use, such as secretin, others have emerging evidence to support their use, like melatonin. Most treatments, however, have not been adequately studied and do not have evidence to support their use. Keywords autism; autism spectrum; complementary and alternative treatments; evidence based Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common disorders (affecting 1 in 150 children) 2 and are typically first recognized in early childhood. ASDs are characterized by core deficits in socialization, communication and behavior 5 with a wide range of severity of symptoms. Disorders include autism, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). For the purpose of this paper, we will include autism, Asperger's Disorder and PDD-NOS as the ASDs for discussion, as Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Rett's Disorder have different characteristics, outcome and treatment. Function and outcome is affected not only by core deficits but by frequently associated comorbid behaviors 34,62 , such as irritability, sensory abnormalities, hyperactivity, affective disorders and others. Outcome is further affected by the presence or absence of language and by overall cognitive ability.