Concurrent Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM and Conventional Rehabilitation Therapy in the Management of Children with Developmental Disorders

Background. We investigated the concurrent use of conventional rehabilitations and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for the long-term management of children with developmental disorders (DDs). Methods. The parents or caregivers of 533 children with DDs (age range, 1-19 years) who visited the rehabilitation centers were surveyed using in depth face-to-face interviews. Results. Of the 533 patients enrolled, 520 completed the questionnaire (97% response rate). A total of 292 (56%) children were receiving multiple therapies, more than two conventional rehabilitations and CAM, at the time of the interview. A total of 249 (48%) children reported lifetime CAM use, 23% used CAM at the time of the interview, and 62% of the patients planned to use CAM therapy in the future. Conventional rehabilitation therapies used at the time of the interview included physical therapy (30%), speech therapy (28%), and occupational therapy (19%), and the CAM therapies included herbal medicine (5%) and acupuncture or moxibustion (3%). The respondents indicated that in the future they planned to use acupuncture or moxibustion (57%), occupational therapy (18%), cognitive behavioral therapy (16%), speech therapy (10%), and physical therapy (8%). Conclusion. Concurrent management as conventional rehabilitations and CAM therapies is widely used by children with DDs.