An exploration of alternative treatment use in young children with autistic spectrum disorder

Alternative treatment use for preventative and intervention purposes is a growing phenomenon throughout the United States and abroad. Although users of alternative treatments encompass individuals with and without significant health care needs, families of children with disabilities are frequently attracted to the benefits purported by advocates of alternative treatments. The purpose of the study was to explore the prevalence and nature of alternative treatment use among young children with autistic spectrum disorders. Two research questions were posed: (a) What is the prevalence and genre of alternative treatments used by parents of four-to-eight year-olds with autism? and (b) What factors predict alternative treatment use within this sample?;A cross-sectional survey design was used to assess the prevalence and possible predictors of alternative treatment use among families of children with autism. A total of 808 mothers of children with autism between the ages of four and eight from California (n = 302), Kansas (n = 197), and North Carolina (n = 309) were sent survey packets. A total of 271 completed surveyes were used in the analyses representing a response rate of 43.62%. The Intervention Questionnaire and Treatment Checklist examined the participants' current or past use of 31 conventional and alternative treatments for children with autism, and measured the five hypothesized indicators of alternative treatment use: (a) maternal education, (b) satisfaction with conventional treatment options, (c) desire for personal control, (d) personal orientation to health, and (e) prognostic belief.;The outcomes illustrate that 73.8% of mothers in the sample report using at least one alternative treatment for their child with autism. The differences across the three states were not statistically significant (chi2 = 5.215, df = 2). The outcomes also reveal the rank order of alternative and conventional treatments, and where mothers are first learning about alternative treatments. Using logistic regression analyses three significant indicators of alternative treatment use were portrayed in the final model: (a) maternal holistic orientation to health, (b) maternal education, and (c) maternal disbelief in a cure for autism. The model suggests that mothers with advanced degrees, who choose to use alternative treatments themselves and do not believe in a cure for autism, are more likely to use alternative treatments. The outcomes have direct implications for practice and research in the many fields working with young children with autism.