Sj. Coniglio et al., A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of single-dose intravenous secretin as treatment for children with autism, J PEDIAT, 138(5), 2001, pp. 649-655
Objective: To determine whether a single injection of intravenous secretin
results in measurable improvements in socialization and/or communication sk
ills in children with autism.
Study design: Sixty subjects with autism were randomly selected and assigne
d to either treatment or placebo group. Subjects in the treatment group rec
eived 2.0 clinical units of secretin per kilogram of body weight as a singl
e intravenous dose. Subjects in the placebo group received normal saline so
lution. Neurodevelopmental and behavioral assessments were performed for al
l subjects before injection and at 3 and 6 weeks after injection.
Results: Assessment of language skills and parents' behavioral assessments
revealed no significant differences between the treatment and placebo group
s. Raters' assessments of severity of autistic symptoms did not differ for
the 2 groups at 6 weeks after injection. A marginal statistically significa
nt Improvement in autistic behaviors was seen in the treatment group at 3 w
eeks after injection (P = .051).
Conclusions: A single dose of intravenous secretin does not appear to have
significant effects on either parents' perception of autistic behaviors or
language skills at 6 weeks after injection. Transient, marginally significa
nt improvements in autistic behaviors may occur in some children.