A Note On Alternative Treatments

Because of the recent significant increase in the numbers of autism diagnoses, we are seeing an abundance of alternative therapeutic treatments set up all over the country. There is an ever increasing deluge of centers designed to cater to the myriad structural and processing needs of the autistic child, the parents of whom are naturally overwhelmed and primed for targeting by some of these treatment providers.

Unfortunately many of these newly developed alternative treatments can tend to be unfounded and non-credible in both theory and application while being marketed to unknowing parents at a high cost. Many of these questionable treatments which are based on little to no valid research proving their effectiveness, are being promoted and provided under the names of other more conventionally grounded treatment categories such as nutritional therapy, chiropractic, and craniosacral therapy. In reality they are nothing like the actual art of effective specific chiropractic vertebral adjustment, or the effective lymphatic drainage of properly trained craniosacral manipulations, and therefore effect little or no benefit. Sadly they can often result in wasting the family's valuable resources and even more valuable window of opportunity.

The art of effective specific chiropractic spinal adjustment, or the effective lymphatic drainage of properly trained craniosacral manipulations can be enormously valuable in treatment of autistic symptoms, and are recommended in valid treatment protocols. When provided by the hands of a truly skilled practitioner, these treatments can exact significant corrective results, not likely to be found by the highly lucrative "Jack of all trades and masters of none".

My role is to act responsibly as an informed and experienced aid in the process of researching and interviewing the practitioners of these alternative therapies to help decide what is appropriate and effective, and what is not.