I recently came across an article about a Canadian Family who is frustrated with wait times for evidence based interventions and is opting for Stem Cell Therapy for their young child. “The frustration, and at times anger, has driven the family to seek stem cell therapy, which is not approved as an autism treatment in Canada, outside the country.”
The article ends with “…we love our son to the moon and back, he’s our sweet angel we will never give up fighting for resources and awareness. My son is the future and that’s where we should invest.” This sentiment resonates with all of us parents of autistic children. So much so that this article prompted me to explore whether there is any scientifically validated published articles on safety and efficacy of stem cells therapy for autism treatment. The short answer is NO!!!
“The alarming aspect of this potential therapeutic proposal is the promise of significant clinical improvements in children who undergo this treatment. These institutes, which are often located in countries with low medical standards, are not proposing a research trial but the use of stem cells as a therapeutic option already validated by basic research…” is an excerpt from a study published in the Frontiers of Psychiatry, titled Tempering expectations: considerations on the current state of stem cells therapy for autism treatment.
Here’s an additional excerpt of the study: “In the study “Most published studies do not have a standardized and shared protocol of evaluation (18, 20, 33–35); do not describe a standardized method of treatment (22, 24, 25, 27, 34, 36); and have small sample size (18, 33, 34). There are no robust and significant clinical differences for any endpoints (32)…it is unethical and premature to allow such treatments to be marketed to families...”
We discourage families of young autistic children from investing in therapies oversees and to consult primary care physicians and autism specialists in their area to learn about safe and effective therapies and services for their children.
~Arzu Forough – President/CEO, Washington Autism Alliance