An autistic boy has received “life-changing” treatment to help support his development, which involves sitting in a “submarine” tank for an hour a day.
Dr Sarah Bishop grew concerned when her son, William, was still unable to form words at the age of two, had struggles with sleeping and wasn’t interested in socialising.
The 40-year-old, from Birmingham, sought out medical advice and in December 2022, he was diagnosed with autism.
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Over time, she discovered research linking autism to inflammation and discovered a form of therapy that helps with physical healing, delivering more oxygen to the brain and reducing inflammation.
Due to the success, the family have rented the tank for their home – at an eye-watering cost of £595 a month – and their six-year-old son now sits in it every day.
“When William saw the chamber for the first time, he exclaimed ‘submarine’ and from that moment on, that’s what we’ve called it,” Dr Bishop, a clinical psychologist, told What’s The Jam.
“As a rule, he dislikes new experiences, so I was slightly worried.
“But we watched other people using it, as well as myself, and he was on board.
“We take in his favourite snacks, a tablet and now he complains if he misses a day.
“The cost is about half the price of a family summer holiday – it’s very expensive.
“But we weighed it up and if it helped my son and we missed a holiday that year, then it would be more than worth it.”
After William’s diagnosis, the mum tried to create an environment that best supported her son, including letting him pursue his special interests of door hinges and bin lids, instead of forcing him to play with toys typically associated with a child his age.
She says her son’s progress – after using the tank for around 60 hours so far – has shown that improvement is possible and the importance of being open-minded about alternative treatments.
Dr Bishop was “genuinely shocked” when she noticed results just after the first session in March 2023.
Now, she’s hoping to raise awareness for the treatment in a bid to let other parents know about the potential of this therapy for autistic children.
She added: “William used to struggle watching television for more than a few minutes, but suddenly, he sat and stared at the screen for 40 minutes.
“This was absolutely unheard of.
“I was initially worried, as I thought the chamber may have spaced him out, but I was able to get his attention immediately.
“Then the miracle happened – that night he slept all through the night.
“I was shocked.
“He transitioned from restlessness and frequent night-time awakenings to uninterrupted, sound sleep throughout the entire night.
“As time went on, his ability to tolerate changes began to show surprising progress.
“I vividly recall a situation where I had to change his duvet due to an unfortunate incident involving our cat.
“While I braced myself for the anticipated meltdown, to my astonishment, there was none.
“He adapted to the change with unexpected ease.
“I cannot say for certain what caused these changes.
“But one thing I am sure of is that the timing of the changes completely coincided with the use of the therapy.
“It’s helped with sleep for us both and I think it’s also helped him tolerate changes better as he’s getting older.”
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