hello, I'm new

My name is Monika  I became interested in the subject of Autism a few months ago.The knowledge I have gained and gained every day based on my own experience  but also cooperation with other specialists. I am currently finishing a course organized by SPEC and everything I learn and learn there fascinates me as a parent. My son is 9 years old and when he was 2 years old I started to notice some dysfunctions in his behavior. The school never suggested that anything disturbed them and in time I believed that maybe I was hypersensitive to his behavior. However, seeing that my son is not able to cope with emotions, he has trouble sleeping, I made decisions about hyperbaric sessions for him. We currently use it once a week from January 2020 and when it is half term it is 3-5 times a week. A lot has changed. My son is calmer, sleep quality has improved, there is no crying and aggression towards himself as well as some digestive problems and night vomiting have ceased. I also use treatments myself but my indications are completely different. The spectrum of hyperbaric medicine is almost limitless and only a few conditions can limit its use. Currently, my son uses the chamber on his own, but at the beginning I entered with him to feel comfortable and safe.  I would love to share it with you confirm how effective Hyperbaric therapy is in supporting people with Autism.  I am convinced of the effectiveness of this therapy. I hope you will welcome me warmly into your community. Hello everyone

  • Dear Sunshine,

    Welcome to the NAS Community!

    I understand that you are recommending hyperbaric oxygen therapy, following your experience with your son. I wanted to highlight that the National Autistic Society's position on hyperbaric oxygen is that it should not be used to manage autism.

    In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a guideline on the management and support of children and young people on the autism spectrum. They rule out a number of interventions for ‘management of the core symptoms of autism’, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The child guideline is clear that hyperbaric oxygen should never be used in any context to manage autism – our position is that this applies across all ages.

    You can find these guidelines here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg170

    If you would like to find out more about our position on therapies, please have a look at this page: https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/position-statements/interventions.aspx

    Anybody exploring different approaches can find out more here: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/strategies/before-choosing.aspx

    I hope this is helpful.

    Kind regards,

    Dani Mod