NJ reviewing controversial autism therapy
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2011, 9:20 AM
STATE HOUSE BUREAU
The state health department will decide for the first time in January whether a hospital — Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus — should be allowed to offer an experimental and controversial treatment for children with autism.
ANDREW MILLS/THE STAR-LEDGER
Polly and Tom Ellison of Egg Harbor Township say their 6-year-old son Tommy, who has autism, has benefited from therapy involving a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
The hyperbaric oxygen treatments cost $90 each and require the child to lie repeatedly in a pressurized chamber flooded with oxygen.
Traditional medical experts say hyperbaric treatment offers families false hope while draining their bank accounts because insurance doesn't cover it. Advocates say the approach deserves more respect and attention by researchers because some families swear it has helped their children communicate and learn.
If the state licenses the hospital's hyperbaric