Hormone Treatment for Autism?

Children who are diagnosed to have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are known to have social problems, one of which is difficulty in recognizing emotions in other people. But a group of researchers in Australia have found that the hormone oxytocin may help them in emotion recognition.

The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, found adolescents with autism — given a single dose each of the hormone or placebo via a nasal spray one week apart and asked to complete a facial expression task that measured emotion recognition — performed significantly better on the task when receiving the hormone.

The researchers believe that the beneficial effects observed in the children who participated in the trial may soon mean earlier intervention, and greater improvement for children with autism.

The full article also mentions other uses of the hormone oxytocin. Could it really be possible to improve social development by means of hormone treatment? What do you think this means for other disorders that affect social skills? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.