Forum: Make informed choices about alternative therapies for those with autism
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The article “Youth with special needs and seniors get support at new community hub in One Holland Village” (Feb 11) describes the services at a new community hub for youth with special needs and seniors and highlights how it can support these individuals.
We are heartened to hear about this effort which is crucial for our community, to better engage these individuals and foster opportunities for social interaction and bonding.
A significant portion of youth with special needs may be on the autism spectrum. While autism is not specifically mentioned in this article, we are concerned that the therapies described as “novel therapies” at the start of the article, specifically the use of a cold room set at 15 deg C to achieve a higher concentration of oxygen and the use of crystal sounds, may be misconstrued to be part of standard treatment for autism or for other special needs.
The Academy of Medicine, Singapore published the 2023 Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents in July 2023.
The robust CPG is intended for national guidance on the best evidence-based practices and therapy for autism in Singapore.
In particular, a key focus of the CPG was on complementary and alternative treatment (CAT) which examined the available research evidence for various CATs being used currently.
The majority of CATs were not recommended as part of regular care and those with high potential for harm were specifically discouraged. Both cold room therapy and crystal sound were not reviewed at all due to the lack of any research evidence on them.
Caregivers of children with special needs may come across various potential CAT options in their search for therapy support, and need to be appropriately informed of which are evidence-based therapies and which are not.
We strongly encourage caregivers to discuss these with their trusted healthcare provider, to allow for informed decisions about using any CAT. Caregivers should be aware of the benefits and potential harms of CAT before using any.
Wong Chui Mae (Dr) and Aishworiya Ramkumar (Dr)
Co-leads of the Autism Clinical Practice Guidelines Workgroup
College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Academy of Medicine, Singapore
