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Oxygen Therapy Helps Autistic Kids

But despite study, treatment remains controversial

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 15, 2009 5:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – Pressurized oxygen helps autistic children interact with people and better understand what they're saying, a new study finds. After 40 hours in a decompression chamber, a group of autistic kids aged 2 to 7 showed considerable gains. Experts theorize that oxygen cuts down inflammation and improves air flow to the brain, but they admit benefits may only be temporary, the BBC reports.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

Hyperbaric treatment has been shown to have some benefit in other neurological conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy. (Getty Images)

After 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment autistic children showed significant improvements in social interaction and eye contact compared with controls. (Getty Images)

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The next step is to try to find out which kids do respond, because it's an expensive treatment. It may be that kids with more inflammation respond better.
- Dan Rossignol, lead researcher

When you have any condition, there are people who have too much damage to get better. All the oxygen is doing is bringing things towards normal. - Philip James, hyperbaric medicine expert

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Oxygen Therapy Helps Autistic Kids