Can HBOT Be Helpful For Autistic Children?
There’s been a lot of talks lately about the potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for autistic children. Some parents swear by it, while others are more skeptical. So what’s the truth? Can HBOT help improve symptoms in autistic kids? Here’s a look at the evidence.
What is Autism and what causes it?
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Its symptoms can include repetitive behaviors and difficulty in social interaction. Autism usually appears during the first three years of life. The cause of autism is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The cause of ASD is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There is no cure for ASD, but early intervention can help improve symptoms and improve the quality of life for those with the condition.
The Best Therapy options for Autistic Children
You might be worried about the health of your child after diagnosing that he is suffering from severe Autism disorder. Well, the best way to lessen you fear is to start treating your children immediately. Till now, multiple therapies are available in clinics claiming to treat autistic users. Some of the most common are:
- Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy
ABA, commonly known as Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, produces positive behavior in your child. It reduces discomfort and might improve your child’s communication skills. However, there is no scientific evidence that this therapy can be 100% used for autistic children.
- Speech Therapy
Users who have autism disorder feel major issues with speech and communication. With speech therapy, you can improve your child’s verbal and non-verbal skills and interact with them more conveniently. Overall, it focuses on learning to speak effectively in school and at home.
- Occupational Therapy
Autistic children have more difficulty dealing with everyday objects like holding a spoon or learning new things at school. Occupational therapy was introduced to help your children play, give them personal space and respond to different stimuli.
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
One of the significant causes of autism disorder is the lack of oxygen and inflammation in brain cells. Therefore, the best therapy to fulfill oxygen requirements is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. It is highly effective for autistic children as it is carried out in hbot chambers. Let’s look at its benefits for autistic children in detail below.
HBOT – An Effective Therapy For Autism
To help autistic children in dealing with severe distress and discomfort situations, HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) is widely used. It is carried out in specialized closed oxygen chambers, and oxygen concentration is raised to the external atmosphere. Enlisted below are some ways that show how HBOT helps in eliminating the effects of autism:
1. Improves Language
When your child has autism, they significantly experience problems related to language, speaking, and learning. By increasing the blood flow to the brain, HBOT highly improves the language issues of autistic children. Thus, the user feels satisfied and fresh even after three to four sessions of 90 minutes.
2. Build Social Skills
Most people affected by autism disorder have to work on their social skills. They lack the social functioning feature due to the required oxygen supply in brain tissues. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy brings people to life by overcoming their social fears. Here are some basic social skills that are improved with HBOT:
- Initiating an intense and friendly conversation with others
- Being more active in school and other institutes
- Making friends and behaving in a social circle
- Taking quick and robust decisions on their own
In such fields of social skills, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has significantly helped autistic children, especially exposing to the external environment. As a result, users feel comfortable and relaxed after each oxygen session.
3. Making Eye Contact
Among other well-known symptoms of autism, lack of eye contact is on top of all. Autistic children are less likely to look into different eyes and often avoid direct contact in a discussion. HBOT is performed to build strong eye contact so they can feel better while talking.
Moreover, Hyperbric oxygen therapy has also helped autistic users engage and respond more quickly than usual. Similarly, it reduces anxiety and confusion by maintaining proper eye contact. Therefore, users feel more relaxed and calm after such therapy sessions.
4. Increases Level of Awareness
Knowledge, awareness, and perception are the most common things that are disturbed by autism disorder. A reduced level of awareness is a clear sign of your children being affected by autism. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is often carried out to improve awareness so the user feels positive and gets involved in daily activities.
5. Promotes Learning
Not only this, but HBOT also helps in increasing your learning and level of recognition by supplying the proper amount of oxygen to your body cells. Hence, if you regularly take the HBOT sessions, you will no longer have difficulty understanding social issues.
On average, you can take a 90-minute HBOT session to help cope with autism. However, there are no scientific details on how length or number of sessions you or your child should have. It all depends on the user and the stage of autism syndrome in his body. For instance, if you’re in an early stage of autism, it is advised to take 10 sessions per week. The frequency should not be more than this as it can have adverse side effects on your body.
Although the verdict is still out on the use of HBOT for autism, many parents feel that it has made a significant difference in their child’s life. More research is needed to determine if HBOT should be considered a standard protocol therapy for autistic children, but for now, it seems to be providing help for some kids who have not responded well to other therapies. If you are considering using HBOT with your autistic child, please consult with your doctor first.
