Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Autism in Children: A Systematic Review
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Tampa
Mentor Information
Manh-Huong Phan
Description
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder affecting development, characterized by having difficulty communicating with others, having specific and restricted interests and wants, and repetitive behaviors. Several treatment options are being actively researched, with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) becoming especially of interest. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, in which a patient is breathing pure oxygen periodically while in a high pressure chamber, has been proposed as a treatment for ASD. This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of HBOT on Autism treatment in children and assess whether or not there is a significant effect. Articles detailing specific experimental trials of HBOT on autistic children were used to determine the overall efficacy of HBOT as a treatment intervention. 16 articles went through a process of data extraction. Although many of the articles demonstrated some improvements, 7 (44%) articles had significant improvements of ASD symptoms in children, with 5 (31%) of them being specified as statistically significant. The remaining 9 (56%) articles demonstrated statistically insignificant improvement. Although more articles suggested that HBOT is ineffective, the results were overall inconclusive. The overall data does not show statistically significant support towards Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a proficient treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and HBOT remains a controversial therapy for Autism treatment in children. With further research and experiments, more conclusive results can be drawn on the effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Autism in Children: A Systematic Review
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder affecting development, characterized by having difficulty communicating with others, having specific and restricted interests and wants, and repetitive behaviors. Several treatment options are being actively researched, with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) becoming especially of interest. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, in which a patient is breathing pure oxygen periodically while in a high pressure chamber, has been proposed as a treatment for ASD. This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of HBOT on Autism treatment in children and assess whether or not there is a significant effect. Articles detailing specific experimental trials of HBOT on autistic children were used to determine the overall efficacy of HBOT as a treatment intervention. 16 articles went through a process of data extraction. Although many of the articles demonstrated some improvements, 7 (44%) articles had significant improvements of ASD symptoms in children, with 5 (31%) of them being specified as statistically significant. The remaining 9 (56%) articles demonstrated statistically insignificant improvement. Although more articles suggested that HBOT is ineffective, the results were overall inconclusive. The overall data does not show statistically significant support towards Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a proficient treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and HBOT remains a controversial therapy for Autism treatment in children. With further research and experiments, more conclusive results can be drawn on the effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
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