Will hyperbaric oxygen therapy help a child with autism?

Sorry, no.: The only evidence-based treatment of autism is intensive, repetitive behavioral & educational therapy geared at the child's developmental age. When a young child is ready, "peer therapy" is effective, adult-supervised play with a neurotypical peer in multiple settings. Group therapy at age 6 & > is repetitive, rote training in basic skills.

Maybe: Children with ASD have multiple medical problems that impair their ability to benefit from educational and behavioral treatments. Therefore, medical therapies which improve overall health, wellness, attention, behavior and mood have the potential to really help them benefit from traditional therapies. In certain patients, hbot in combination with other treatments can be very helpful.

Jury is still out: 1 study assessed the effects of increasing hyperbaric pressure by 3 to 30% in 2 to 7 Y.O.Children with autism spectrum disorders over 40 1 hour txs. There was reported significant improvement in 30% of children under pressure vice 8% in the control group. I don't know what "significant " means. I believe that the jury is still out & there are intrinsic risks to hyperbaric o2 treatment.

Not effective: There is no evidence that using hyperbaric oxygen is effective in treating autism. The costs can be considerable so beware of false promises and hopes. Also, the issue of how to get a child with autism to be comfortable in a chamber will be challenging.