Internet survey of treatments used by parents of children with autism

We developed an Internet survey to identify treatments used by parents of children with autism. The survey listed 111 treatments and was distributed via colleagues and through chapters of the Autism Society of America and Autism Organizations Worldwide. A total of 552 parents submitted usable return...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in developmental disabilities 2006, Vol.27 (1), p.70-84
Main Authors: Green, Vanessa A., Pituch, Keenan A., Itchon, Jonathan, Choi, Aram, O’Reilly, Mark, Sigafoos, Jeff
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Autism
Autistic Disorder - therapy
Behavior Modification
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Dietetics
Drug Therapy
Family environment. Family history
Humans
Internet
Internet - instrumentation
Internet survey
Medical sciences
Parent reports
Parents
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Sensory Integration
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Speech Therapy
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
Test Construction
Therapy
Treatments for autism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We developed an Internet survey to identify treatments used by parents of children with autism. The survey listed 111 treatments and was distributed via colleagues and through chapters of the Autism Society of America and Autism Organizations Worldwide. A total of 552 parents submitted usable returns during the 3-month survey period. On average the parents reported using seven different treatments. The number of treatments used varied as a function of the child's age and type/severity of disability within the autism spectrum. Speech therapy was the most commonly reported intervention, followed by visual schedules, sensory integration, and applied behavior analysis. In addition, 52% of parents were currently using at least one medication to treat their child, 27% were implementing special diets, and 43% were using vitamin supplements. Because parents were using a large number of treatments, many of which lack empirical support, future research should focus on understanding the decision-making processes that underlie treatment selection by parents of children with autism.
ISSN:0891-4222
1873-3379
DOI:10.1016/j.ridd.2004.12.002