Autism is a terrible disorder that cripples the abilities of some parents with autistic children to reasonably discern between false hopes for cures and a research based study. Most autistic parents have searched the internet, talked to doctors, and have read scores of literature to find help in the treatment and the cure for autism. Their searches usually ends up fruitless because at this time there in no cure for autism. This is heart breaking news for the parents and sometimes it will send them down the road of the unconventional methods that promise the moon but only delivers more bills and the realization that the methods did not help.
One of the most notorious claims that are made today, that have duped millions into believing it, is that nutritional supplements can cure autism. These shysters have taken the symptoms of autism like severe gastrointestinal problems and have spun tails that just by adding nutritional supplements to the diet of the autistic child the child will regain their cognitive skills and will be able to function normally. This is not true. All you will get when giving your child nutritional supplements is a healthier autistic child. There is no miracle cure and these companies are out for the dollar not for the cure.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a statement that: “Parents of autistic children can be desperate and provide easy targets for unproven therapies. Marketers of dietary supplements for autistic children contend that their products promote more complete food digestion, thereby preventing neuro-toxic molecules that contribute to autism. This is a false and unsupported claim.” To back this up there has been no founded research that backs these claims nor has any medical organization or association given even a hint of support. Even the Autistic Association of America has down played nutritional supplements as a therapy.
Educated parents in the scientific community, who have autistic children, have made a grievance with the Food and Drug Administration. They believe that the agency should not make a statement against nutritional supplements until the people who believe in them, marketers and parents alike have a say. They have asked that a forum be open to discuss home based research and they discoveries parents have made by changing the diet of their children. Without proven documented research the success of these parents cannot really be taken seriously by the scientific community. The sad thing is that if there is success, the Food and Drug Administration may be swayed by the pharmaceutical industry not to act of the information unless there is formal research.
The research that has been done on the subject is very limited. After a review of three research studies, all three seem to have a slant toward the nutritional supplement industry. The words were written in a defensive tone that pushed the supplements but gave very few actual clinical trails to the success. The data gathering method used was mostly parent surveys. There were no laboratory or scientific method guidelines that could give statistical data when correlated with a control group. Used in a qualitative model, the opinions of parents and their observations were made the focus instead of a quantitative model which would give statistics and the actual growth or retention of growth of the autistic child.
If these supplements were to work, they would alleviate some symptoms of autism but it would not be a cure. It could be easily understood why parents see improvement. If there son or daughter shows at least a notch of improvement, in their mind the treatment works.
Want to find out about autism causes and autism in infants? Get tips from Autism Diagnosis.