Hormone therapy may improve some symptoms of autism

Hormonal therapies have been found to help communication skills and social interactions in children and men with autism. When the US Food and Drug Administration recently asked people with autism and their caregivers what drugs they would find most useful, the top result was overwhelmingly something that would help with communication and socialisation behaviours, says Paulo Fontoura of the pharmaceutical firm Roche. Some people with autism take ADHD medication for help with attention, or anti-psychotics for help with aggression, but there are no drugs available to help with things like social difficulties. Now two separate studies have tested approaches that target the body's system for regulating vasopressin, a hormone known to affect social interactions. In the first study, 30 autistic children aged 6 to 12 were given a nasal spray to use daily for 4 weeks.