Everyone Healthy Library
Autism
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Incidenceis approximately 1 in 67 people
Linked signs and symptoms
6Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
5Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
13Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Lifestyle changes
1Behavioural changes
1Counselling and support
5Alternative and complementary therapies
3Vitamins and minerals
1Vitamins
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
0No linked diagnostic tests are listed yet.
Biological markers/agents
0This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
No biological marker/agent links are listed yet for this condition.
Introduction / full article
Autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development, typified by difficulties with social interaction, communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. The outward signs of autism can vary greatly between individuals, but they all tend to appear during infancy or early childhood, and continue into adulthood.
While ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status do not appear to affect the likelihood of autism in a child, boys have been found to be at considerably higher risk for autism than girls.
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Vitamin D [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
Please note, this management does not treat the condition itself. It may mildly help in preventing some symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Please note, this acts as a preventative treatment, and not necessarily symptomatic relief.
Recommendation: No recommendation. There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Vitamin D can help to prevent autism.
Grade of Evidence: Very low quality of evidence.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
Not recommended.
Recommendation: Strongly against. Available evidence shows that HBOT is not useful in treating autism and can have harmful effects.
Grade of Evidence: Moderate quality of evidence.
Music Therapy [11, 12, 13, 14]
Recommendation: Weakly in favor. Studies show that music therapy may be beneficial for people with autism, particularly children.
Grade of Evidence: Low level of evidence.
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
- American Cancer Society: Vitamin D
- Cochrane review: Vitamin D
- PubMed PMID: 10824056
- Wiley: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry abstract
- Vitamin D report
- Informa Healthcare article
- The Globe and Mail article
- PubMed PMID: 17556697
- PubMed PMID: 18065602
- MedlinePlus: Vitamin D
- Journal of Music Therapy article
- Autism Science Foundation: Music therapy may help children with autism
- Coast Music Therapy: Autism research
- Music therapy PDF