| Background. Little is known about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in Canada.; Purpose. To describe CAM use in children and adolescents with ASDs in southern Alberta.; Methods. A cross-sectional survey of parents.; Results. The response rate was 50.3% (176/350). The majority of children were male (83.5%), and diagnosed with classic autism (52.8%). The mean age was 8.9 years. The majority of children (93.8%) had used CAM, most commonly vitamins and minerals (63.1%), mind-body therapies (51.7%), and dietary-nutritional therapies (45.5%). The mean number of types of CAM used was 9.6. The main reason parents used CAM was to improve autistic symptoms in their children. The mean amount spent on CAM was almost {dollar}3,000. Most physicians were felt by parents to know about their use of CAM, but the majority of parents felt that they volunteered this information. Roughly one third of both family physicians and pediatricians were perceived to be encouraging of CAM use.; Conclusion. The use of CAM in children and adolescents with ASDs is very common, and highlights the need for further research with respect to efficacy, side effects and health policy for these therapies. |
