Controversial Therapies in the Treatment of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities: Medical Perspective

INTRODUCTION The increased access to therapeutic information through the Internet has contributed to the increased use of Complementary or Alternative Medicine (CAM). In 1992, Congress set up the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defined CAM as: “Health Care practices outside the realm of conventional medicine, which are yet to be validated using scientific method.” The push in medicine is treatment based upon evidence of success (evidencebased medicine), yet there is also the pull of more unconventional or novel approaches to treatment. CAM refers to Complementary (added to traditional practice) or Alternative (used instead of traditional practice) approaches. The NCCAM identified five domains of CAM therapies: Alternative Medicine (e.g., Chinese Medicine), Biologically-Based Therapy (e.g., Megavitamins), Mind-Body Interventions (e.g., Meditation), Manipulative and Body-Based Therapy (e.g., Sensory Integration Therapy) and Energy Therapy (e.g., Magnet Therapy).