ABSTRACT
The management of autism by medical practitioners has been slow to evolve due to the nature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As this chapter will discuss, the lack of specific medical causes for autism spectrum disorders complicates the ability of health professionals to provide meaningful interventions that have been shown to be effective in treating children with ASD. Most treatments focus on the affective characteristics of ASD, even as their underlying reason for their expression is poorly articulated, meaning the treatments often fail to live up to their expectations. This explains, in part, why complementary and alternative interventions have been so popular with families who have children with ASD.
