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This study examined whether parents' decision to use Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) to treat their children's autism was associated with a negative parent-pediatrician relationship. Participants were 53 parents of children with autism recruited through Facebook messages. Participants filled out an online survey that asked them to rate their satisfaction with their pediatrician on a number ... read moreof measures, and to report whether or not they had tried a number of CAM and conventional treatments with their child. 30 parents reported using at least one CAM treatment, while 23 parents reported never using a CAM treatment. Analysis revealed a negative correlation (r= -0.352, p=0.01) between Pediatrician Satisfaction Score (PSS) and number of CAM treatments used. In addition, parents who used CAM reported lower scores on all measures of pediatrician satisfaction than parents who did not, although this group difference was not statistically significant. One interpretation of these results suggests that parents' use of CAM negatively impacts their relationship with their pediatrician. Alternatively, these results could reflect that parents who are less satisfied with their pediatricians are more likely to try CAM. More research is needed to learn more about the population of parents of children with autism who choose CAM. In addition, more resources should be devoted to educating parents about safe, evidence-based treatments for autism, and preparing pediatricians to discuss CAM treatments with parents.read less
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