What are natural treatments for autism spectrum disorders?

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD, previously called autism) is a
poorly understood family of related conditions. People with ASD generally lack
normal social interaction skills and engage in a variety of unusual and often
characteristic behaviors, such as repetitive movements. There is no specific
medical treatment for ASD and its cause remains unclear. Anecdotal evidence of
remarkable cures with the use of the substance secretin had
raised hopes, but these hopes faded when numerous formal research trials found
secretin ineffective. Also, despite public concerns that the measles, mumps, and
rubella (MMR)
vaccine may cause autism spectrum disorder, the balance of
the evidence strongly suggests that this is not true.

Proposed Natural Treatments

Nutrients. Some physicians involved with natural medicine believe that ASD and many other illnesses are caused by genetic defects in the body that interfere with the metabolism of certain nutrients. For example, there is some evidence that children with ASD may have trouble metabolizing vitamin B6. Based on this theory, various supplements have been advocated for treatment. However, despite a number of favorable anecdotal reports, there is no reliable supporting evidence from meaningful studies. As the secretin example shows, anecdotes can easily be misleading.

One ten-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of eighteen
autistic children evaluated high doses of vitamin C for
its effects on behavior. Participants received 8 grams (g) of vitamin C for every
70 kilograms (kg) of body weight. In this rather complex study, all participants
received vitamin C for ten weeks. After that, half received vitamin C and the
other half received placebo for another ten weeks. During the third and final
ten-week period, the vitamin C and placebo groups were switched. (At this level of
vitamin C intake, many people experience diarrhea.) The results indicated that the
use of vitamin C caused significant improvements in behavior when compared with
the use of placebo. This study, however, was small and had various design
problems. Nonetheless, it does suggest that further research into using vitamin C
for ASD might be advisable.

Another double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study found indications that high doses of vitamin B6 may produce beneficial effects in the treatment of ASD. Again, however, this study was small and poorly designed; furthermore, it used a dose of vitamin B6 so high that it could cause toxicity.

It has been suggested that combining magnesium with vitamin B6 could offer additional benefits, such as reducing side effects or allowing a reduced dose of the vitamin. However, the two reasonably well-designed studies using combined vitamin B6 and magnesium have failed to find benefits. Therefore, it is not possible to recommend vitamin B6 with or without magnesium as a treatment for ASD.

One small study found that the use of a multivitamin-multimineral supplement improved sleep and gastrointestinal problems in people with ASD to a greater extent than placebo.

Other natural approaches. An eight-week, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial of thirty-one children found preliminary evidence that
the supplement carnosine at a dose of 400 milligrams twice daily might be helpful
for ASD. Massage
therapy might also be helpful for ASD, according to one small
controlled study.

It has been suggested that food additives, food
allergies, or other dietary factors may play a role in ASD,
but meaningful supporting evidence for this theory has not been presented. One
small but well-designed study failed to find benefit through eliminating gluten
and casein from the diet. The study followed a double-blind design; parents
generally thought they saw improvement, but perceived improvements were equally
divided between the treatment group and the placebo group. A 2008 review of all
published randomized trials on the subject found no convincing evidence that the
elimination of gluten or casein (or both) from the diet of autistic children led
to any significant improvement.

Bibliography

Adams, J. B., and C. Holloway. “Pilot Study of a Moderate Dose Multivitamin/Mineral Supplement for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10 (2005): 1033-1039.

Chez, M. G., et al. “Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of L-carnosine Supplementation in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.” Journal of Child Neurology 17 (2002): 833-837.

Elder, J. H., et al. “The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet in Autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36 (2006): 413-420.

Field, T., et al. “Brief Report: Autistic Children’s Attentiveness and Responsivity Improve After Touch Therapy.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 27 (1997): 333-338.

Madsen, K. M., et al. “A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism.” New England Journal of Medicine 347 (2002): 1477-1482.

Millward, C., et al. “Gluten- and Casein-Free Diets for Autistic Spectrum Disorder.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2008): CD003498. Available through EBSCO DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillance at http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed.

Molloy, C. A., et al. “Lack of Benefit of Intravenous Synthetic Human Secretin in the Treatment of Autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 32 (2002): 545-551.

Nye, C., and A. Brice. “Combined Vitamin B6-Magnesium Treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2002): CD003497. Available through EBSCO DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillance at http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed.