Writing in the New York Times, Personal Health columnist Jane E. Brody chronicles the journey of a New York couple who have tried both traditional methods and alternative practices in their attempt to help their child with autism.

Among the methods that Rochelle and Ian Yankwitt have sampled: Speech therapy, occupational therapy, special education, diet changes, supplements, creams, chelation therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.  They think their son is a little bit better, but don’t know whether anything they’ve tried has made the difference.

Brody interviews Laura Schreibman, author of “The Science and Fiction of Autism,” who says behavioral intervention is the only approach that has been scientifically proven to help children with autism. An excerpt:

With the increase in awareness of autism and improvements in diagnosis, more children today can get an early start on effective therapy rather than wasting valuable time, effort and money on remedies that lack a scientific basis and proof of effectiveness.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 6:07 pm and is filed under autism, controversial procedures, families, treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.