Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: alternative medicine

July 2022
A red, white, blue and pink board game-like pathway with several children playing on it sits against a yellow background. The pathway also features several pills, and at the left is a doctor consulting a notepad.

Factors other than autism traits guide therapies for autistic children

by  /  28 July 2022

Most autistic children in the Netherlands have used some sort of treatment, but the number, type and timing varies depending on considerations unrelated to their condition.

Comments
May 2022
An illustration of a colorful, psychedelic landscape featuring two people standing on a hill speaking to one another

Tripping over the potential of psychedelics for autism

by  /  31 May 2022

Drugs such as LSD act primarily on the serotonin system, which is implicated in autism — and some autistic people who experiment with psychoactive compounds report enhanced social connections, among other benefits. But researchers have more questions than answers.

Comments
June 2020

Study finds little evidence to back cord-blood therapy for autism

by  /  11 June 2020

An infusion of umbilical cord blood does not improve social skills in autistic children, according to results from the largest, most rigorous test of the therapy for autism to date.

Comments
December 2019
umbilical cord and placenta

U.S. agency warns company marketing ‘stem cells’ for autism

by  /  12 December 2019

Two agency letters put California-based Liveyon on warning and alert the public to the risks associated with stem-cell based therapies for autism.

Comments
July 2019

Experts question rationale for stem cell trial for autism

by  /  25 July 2019

Results from a new trial suggest that it’s safe to treat autistic children with umbilical cord stem cells. But parents must pay for the pricey infusions, and no one knows how or if the cells work.

Comments
June 2019
Giant helminth flies over figure with glowing gut and microbiome

Supplements, worms and stool: How families are trying to game the gut to treat autism traits

by  /  26 June 2019

Scientists are playing catch-up as microbiome-based treatments for autism proliferate.

Comments
Illustration shows the legs of a boy and a spine levitating through a hoop, as in a magic show

Straightening out chiropractic’s claim as a treatment for autism

by ,  /  12 June 2019

Some chiropractors advertise that they can treat autism, but there’s no evidence to back that claim.

Comments
March 2019
Stem cell company

False hope for autism in the stem-cell underground

by  /  27 March 2019

Parents of autistic children are paying tens of thousands of dollars for stem cell therapies that often use medical waste. Despite the risks, regulators have been slow to act.

Comments
September 2018

Ecstasy ingredient touted as treatment for anxiety in autism

by  /  25 September 2018

The active ingredient in the drug popularly known as ecstasy eases social anxiety in people with autism.

Comments
June 2018
Week of JuneJun
18th
2018

New health handbook; evidence imbalance; social motivation and more

by  /  22 June 2018

The latest manual of international disease codes is out, a franchise claims to have an autism cure, and two reports diverge on the validity of the social-motivation hypothesis.

Comments