The journal Pediatrics has a large number of autism related articles in a recent supplement. One of these covers a topic discussed a great deal by parent groups online: alternative medical approaches to the treatment of autism. In Complementary and alternative medicine use in a large pediatric autism sample, James Perrin (this one of his five articles in the Supplement; Dr. Perrin is the president elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics) and his coauthors use the Autism Treatment Network (ATN) to review parent report of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in regards to autism. The authors find that while CAM is used by a significant minority of parents, it is a minority: 28% (896 out of 3173). Special diets are the most common (548 respondents, 17%). Various methodologies are listed below: Characteristic NAny CAM 896Special diets 548Gluten-free diet 249Casein-free diet 289No processed sugars 69No sugars or salicylates 28Feingold diet 14Other specified special diet 293Other CAM 643Other vitamin supplements 413Probiotics 274Essential fatty acids 171Digestive enzymes 116Higher dosing vitamin B6 and magnesium 99Chiropractic 77Amino acids 59Antifungals 58Glutathione 33Chelation 19Hyperbaric oxygen 12Acupuncture 10Sulfation 7Other specified CAM 173
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