Autism spectrum disorder now affects roughly 1 in 36 children, and for families of children who are minimally verbal, communication is often the single most pressing challenge — shaping the child’s ability to learn, connect, and gain independence for life. Because the stakes are so high, parents actively seek out every credible therapy, which makes rigorous evidence especially important. This study is significant for measuring HBOT’s effect on language specifically. It compared 65 children with autism: 32 received a minimum of 40 HBOT sessions (100% oxygen at 2.0 ATA for 60 minutes) alongside applied behavior analysis (ABA), while the rest received ABA alone. The children who also received HBOT gained substantially more verbal skills — on the VB-MAPP language assessment, their improvement was more than three times larger than the ABA-only group. A related language measure also favored HBOT, though with more variability. (Note: a correction to this paper was published in August 2025; the underlying findings stand.) <view study> Read Less

Research supports the hypothesis that the combined ABA and HBOT intervention may offer additional benefits over ABA therapy alone, with verbal milestone behaviors in children with autism <view study> Read Less

39 ASD children (35 boys, 4 girls) underwent a ’40 Hour’ intensive course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (either once daily for 8 weeks or twice daily for 4 weeks) at 1.5 ATA (60 minutes each). The participants were then divided into two age groups: older (over 79 months) and younger (under 79 months). “In younger children under study post-therapy improvements were found for the ATEC Sociability - "Does not imitate", ATEC Sensory/cognitive awareness - "Shows imagination", and ATEC Health/physical/behavior - "Sound-sensitive" items. In older children improvements were noted for ATEC Health/physical/behavior - "Obsessive speech" and CARS emotional response, adaptation to change, and total score” “The results of the present study demonstrate that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a valuable component of the comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation process in children with autism spectrum disorders.” <view study> Read Less

“Children with autism who received hyperbaric treatment at 1.3 ATA and 24% oxygen for 40 hourly sessions had significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory/cognitive awareness compared to children who received slightly pressurized room air...” <view study> Read Less

Though hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not an FDA-approved treatment for autism, there are progressively, and exponentially, more autistic families that are seeking out hyperbaric therapy for their children, and some claim amazing benefits. The purpose of this review was to analyze the data and studies and try to help shed more light as to some of the key mechanisms of actions <view study> Read Less