Oxytocin for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children

[摘要] Question Several parents have recently asked me if oxytocin would be helpful for treating their children with autismspectrum disorder (ASD). What do we currently know about the use of oxytocin for the treatment of children with ASD?Answer Autism spectrum disorder is prevalent among children in Canada, with most affected children experiencingdifficulties with social function. Behavioural and educational interventions are the first-line treatments for childrenwith ASD. Multiple studies of oxytocin in children with ASD from the past 2 decades provide equivocal results relatedto social functioning, and a recent large study did not show benefit from treatment with oxytocin. Small samplesizes and differences in participant age, oxytocin formulation and dose, treatment duration, outcome measures, andanalytic methods may help explain some of these disparities. The fact that ASD has a range of clinical presentationsmay also contribute to mixed results. The use of oxytocin has limited benefit in changing social function in childrenwith ASD and there is no support for its current use in the treatment of this population.

[学科分类] 卫生学