Controversial Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that share overlapping diagnostic criteria ranging in symptom severity. Currently, diagnoses of ASD are based on a triad of observable behaviors including impairments in communication, impairments in socialization, and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. And, while the prevalence of the disorders comprising the spectrum continues to be on the rise (Rice et al. in Disabil Health J 3:186–201, 2010; Sun and Allison in Res Autism Spect Dis 4:156–167, 2010), the etiology of ASD remains relatively unknown. More concerning for parents of children diagnosed with an ASD is that there is no known cure. As a result, parents are desperate to implement any treatments that have reported effectiveness (Elder et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 36:413–420, 2006), even if reports are anecdotal.