Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Autism The logic for using hyperbaric oxygen treatment for developmental disorders relates to the auto-immune and/or viral theory of these conditions. Hyperbaric oxygen has been studied for auto-immune disorders and found to be helpful. [References for this will be posted soon]. Encephalitis, in this theory, is thought to be part of developmental disorders. The encephalitis can be initiated by viral infection, by exposure to vaccines, and/or by other auto-immune processes (the result of exposure to abnormal opioid-like substances from the opioid excess hypothesis, for example). http://www.healing-arts.org/children/hyperbaric.htm