An extensive review into alternative treatments for autism has found no strong evidence to support their use.
Today (28th August) experts from the University of Southampton and Paris Nanterre University published new research which found no strong evidence to support alternative medicine for autism.
The treatments, which include music therapy, mind-body practices like yoga and herbal remedies, are often used instead of conventional medicine.
‘Many parents of autistic children, as well as autistic adults, turn to complementary and alternative medicines hoping they may help with unwanted side effects,’ Professor Richard Delorme, head of the child and adolescent psychiatry unit at Robert Debré Hospital in Paris, said.
‘However, it is necessary to carefully consider evidence from rigorous randomised trials before concluding that these treatments should be tried.’
And that is exactly what the team of researchers did – to quote their own research they ‘carried out a big umbrella review – a type of study that pulls together evidence to give an overall big picture summary’.
Dr. Corentin Gosling, associate professor at the Paris Nanterre University and first author of the study, said: ‘Rather than looking at individual trials, we reviewed all the available meta-analyses, which are a compilation of many trials. This allowed us to evaluate the full body of evidence across different treatments.
‘Importantly, we also developed a free and easy-to-use platform, which we will continue to test. Ultimately, we hope this tool will support autistic people and practitioners in choosing together the best treatment.’
In similar vein, Professor Sammual Cortese, co-senior author of the research, added: ‘This study shows that when people want to know whether a treatment is effective, they shouldn’t just look at one single study. It’s essential to consider all the available evidence and how good that evidence is. Drawing conclusions from one low-quality study can be misleading.’
The new online resource can be found here and the research can be accessed in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Photo by Jason Rosewell via UnSplash
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