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

To determine the effect of intravenous porcine secretin on autistic behaviours in children aged 2 to 7 years, the effects of secretin on (1) performance on a standardized language measure, and (2) autistic behaviours, as rated by parents and child development professionals was examined. Employing a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design, 95 participants were assigned to one of two groups and administered a single dose of either secretin or placebo. A follow‐up assessment was conducted 3 weeks after the injection. No significant differences in language or autistic behaviour measures 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 6 points on the language measure at follow‐up. This study showed no significant effects of secretin on children with autism. Our results are consistent with a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of secretin in children with autism.