Effect of secretin on children with autism: a randomized controlled trial

To determine the effect of intravenous porcine secretin on autistic behavio urs in children aged 2 to 7 years, the effects of secretin on (1) performan ce on a standardized language measure, and (2) autistic behaviours, as rate d by parents and child development professionals was examined. Employing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 95 participants were a ssigned to one of two groups and administered a single dose of either secre tin or placebo. A follow-up assessment was conducted 3 weeks after the inje ction, No significant differences in language or autistic behaviour measure s were observed at the 3-week follow-up between the groups. Also, there was no significant difference in the proportion of individuals who improved by greater than or equal to6 points on the language measure at follow-up. Thi s study showed no significant effects of secretin on children with autism. Our results are consistent with a systematic review of randomized controlle d trials evaluating the effect of secretin in children with autism.