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The statistics weren’t comforting: In March 2012 the Centers for Disease Control estimated that one in 88 American children is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. We’re still not sure exactly what causes autism, and we’re not sure why the number of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased since the early 1990s. According to the National Academy of Sciences, it could be because people are more aware of autism spectrum disorders today; because pediatricians are doing more screening; and because there have been changes in how autism disorders have been defined and diagnosed. In other words, more children with milder symptoms are being identified as somewhere “on the spectrum,” where they wouldn’t have been in years before. But as the Dimicks discovered—like many other parents before them—plenty of doctors claimed to have all the answers. The road parents must navigate is made more perilous by medical professionals willing to prescribe all sorts of treatments, from hyperbaric oxygen chambers and chelation therapy (which removes heavy metals with chemicals) to shelves full of dietary supplements and other alternative remedies they say can treat, even cure, autism. At best these treatments remain unapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; at worst they are downright dangerous. To compound the problem, a host of celebrities act as unpaid marketing reps for these unproven treatments, touting a pervasive (but incorrect) belief that autism is caused by childhood vaccines. This misinformation campaign has led, in the last few years, to a decline in the number of children receiving lifesaving inoculations. And Texas has become a center for alternative autism treatment and the anti-vaccine crusade.

The father of a 7-year-old Chicago boy who was diagnosed as a toddler with autism has sued the Naperville and Florida doctors who treated his son, alleging they harmed the child with "dangerous and unnecessary experimental treatments."

James Coman and his son were featured last year in "Dubious Medicine," a Tribune series that examined risky, unproven treatments for autism based on questionable science.

The defendants — family-practice physicians Dr. Anjum Usman of Naperville and Dr. Daniel Rossignol of Melbourne, Fla. — are prominent in the Defeat Autism Now! movement, which promotes many of the alternative treatments the Tribune scrutinized. Both have spoken to groups of parents at autism conferences and trained other physicians in their methods.

Besides taking many pills, the boy was injected with vitamin B12 and received intravenous infusions of a drug used to leach mercury and other metals from the body. He took megadoses of vitamin C, a hormone and a drug that suppresses testosterone. This complex treatment regimen -- documented in court records as part of a bitter custody battle between Coman, who opposes the therapies, and his wife -- may sound unusual, but it isn't. Thousands of U.S. children undergo these therapies and many more at the urging of physicians who say they can successfully treat, or "recover," children with autism, a disorder most physicians and scientists say they cannot yet explain or cure. But after reviewing thousands of pages of court documents and scientific studies and interviewing top researchers in the field, the Tribune found that many of these treatments amount to uncontrolled experiments on vulnerable children.

Autism treatments range from medications to behavioral therapies to alternative medical practices. But too few treatments are backed by solid evidence, according to a series of studies released Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

ASAT is a not-for-profit organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the education, treatment, and care of people with autism. Since autism was first identified, there has been a long history of failed treatments and fads, levied on vulnerable individuals as well as on their families. From the scandal of the “refrigerator mother” theory, to the ongoing parade of “miracle cures” and “magical breakthroughs”, history has been dominated by improbable theories about causation and treatments.

My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism

A first-time diagnosis of autism in a child can be an overwhelming and stressful time for parents and families. My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism serves as a roadmap for parents dealing with this challenging period and seeks to provide answers to the many questions that arise during the journey from autism diagnosis to treatment. The DVD is produced by the University of Washington Autism Center and funded by Washington State legislature. Through interviews with experts and treatment providers, My Next Steps familiarizes parents with topics that are crucial in providing the best support for their child.

A first-time diagnosis of autism in a child can be an overwhelming and stressful time for parents and families. My Next Steps: A Parent's Guide to Understanding Autism serves as a roadmap for parents dealing with this challenging period and seeks to provide answers to the many questions that arise during the journey from autism diagnosis to treatment. The DVD is produced by the University of Washington Autism Center and funded by Washington State legislature. Through interviews with experts and treatment providers, My Next Steps familiarizes parents with topics that are crucial in providing the best support for their child.

Today, the journal Pediatrics published a special supplement on the health and medical treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The issue highlights treatment guidelines for physicians and research reports on medical issues of interest to families affected by ASD.

This video is the second in a series of webinars on topics of interest to the autism community. It captures the webinar presented by Dr. Raphael Bernier, an autism researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, in which he presents an overview of the wide variety of autism treatments in use, and the evidence that we have (or don't have) regarding the effectiveness of these treatments. In addition to his research into autism genetics and neurobiology, Dr. Bernier is involved in a nationwide network in the United States that is establishing treatment standards for individuals on the spectrum.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Treatment section of the ASD Video Glossary. The treatments presented here include some of the more commonly used interventions for children on the autism spectrum: behavioral interventions, developmental interventions, structured teaching and supports, clinical therapies, and toddler treatment models.

Click here to RSVP!What:Is there a role for states in screening youth offenders in Juvenile Justice systems for TBI?  How do we help ensure access to appropriate treatment once they are screened?  What are the keys to a successful partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice? Answering these and many other important questions about working with the juvenile justice system will be the focus of a HRSA Federal TBI Program webinar on December 13 at 2:00 p.m. EST.  You will hear from grantees currently working to implement programs in their respective states, their partners, and mental health providers from state and local departments of Juvenile Justice, who will discuss: Issues facing juveniles with TBI and the complexities of getting properly screened and treated Two screening tools currently being used in juvenile justice systems Concerns often voiced by juvenile justice partners and strategies for addressing them Key components of successful partnerships Issues facing mental health providers in juvenile justice systems How to maximize program sustainability When:Tuesday, December 13, 201112:00pm – 1:30pm MTContact:Phone: 877-253-2087Email: HRSA-TBITAC@norc.org