Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by social dysfunction and stereotypic behaviors. The etiology of ASD remains largely unexplored, resulting in a diverse array of described clinical manifestations and varying degrees of severity. Currently, there are no drugs approved by a supervisory organization that can effectively treat the core symptoms of ASD. Childhood and adolescence are crucial stages for making significant achievements in ASD treatment, necessitating the development of drugs specifically for these periods. Based on the drug targets and mechanisms of action, it can be found that atypical psychotropic medications, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant medications, hormonal medications, ion channel medications, and gastrointestinal medications have shown significant improvement in treating the core symptoms of ASD in both children and adolescents. In addition, comparisons of drugs within the same category regarding efficacy and safety have been made to identify better alternatives and promote drug development. While further evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of these medications is needed, they hold great potential for widespread application in the clinical treatment of the principal symptoms of ASD.
Humans ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/drug therapy* ; Child ; Adolescent ; Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use* ; Antioxidants/therapeutic use* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use* ; Gastrointestinal Agents/therapeutic use*

Traditional medications used for treating autoimmune diseases often come with a wide range of adverse effects. Current treatments focus mainly on symptom management, resulting in significant health issues and financial burdens for patients. Recently, clinical research has demonstrated the potential of helminths and their derivatives as effective therapies for autoimmune disorders. Helminths, being a near-natural immunomodulator, exhibit milder effects than broad-spectrum immunosuppressants and corticosteroids, thereby presenting a promising alternative for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, different helminths' therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms and their derivatives in treating autoimmune diseases may vary. Therefore, we aim to review recent clinical advancements in the use of helminths and their derivatives for treating inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, and autism spectrum disorder, with a view to offering novel clinical treatment approaches.
Animals ; Humans ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autoimmune Diseases/drug therapy* ; Helminths ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of vitamin D (VitD) combined with the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers. METHODS: A total of 102 toddlers with ASD, aged 1 to 3 years, were enrolled. According to the wishes of their parents, they were divided into conventional rehabilitation, ESDM and ESDM+VitD groups. Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were used evaluate behavior problems before treatment and after 3 months of treatment. RESULTS: The conventional rehabilitation group had significant reductions in the total score and the scores on somatic movement and self-care subscales of the ABC scale after 3 months of treatment (P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the ESDM group had significant reductions in the total score and the scores on somatic movement, self-care, social interaction and language subscales of the ABC scale (P<0.05), as well as a significant reduction in the total score of the CARS (P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the ESDM+VitD group had a significant increase in the level of 25(OH)D and significant reductions in the total score and the scores on self-care, sensation, social interaction and language subscales of the ABC scale (P<0.05), as well as a significant reduction in the total score of the CARS (P<0.05). The ESDM group had a significantly greater reduction in the score on social interaction subscale than the conventional rehabilitation group (P<0.05). The ESDM+VitD group had a significantly greater reduction in the score on social interaction subscale than the other two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS ESDM can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of toddlers with ASD, with a significantly better clinical effect in improving social interaction and somatic movement than conventional rehabilitation. ESDM combined with VitD has a significantly better clinical effect in improving social communication skills and may be one of the best strategies for improving the clinical symptoms of toddlers with ASD.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; drug therapy ; Autistic Disorder ; Child, Preschool ; Cholecalciferol ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infant ; Parents

The etiology and pathogenic mechanism of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are still unclear. The relationship between vitamin D and ASD has drawn attention in recent years due to common vitamin D deficiency in children with ASD. This article reviews the peripheral blood levels of vitamin D in children with ASD, the possible reasons for hypovitamin D and its possible roles in the etiology of ASD and the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in ASD.
Animals ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; blood ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Vitamin D ; administration & dosage ; blood ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; blood ; drug therapy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairment in two behavioral domains: social interaction/communication together with the presence of stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests. The heterogeneity in the phenotype among patients and the complex etiology of the disorder have long impeded the advancement of the development of successful pharmacotherapies. However, in the recent years, the integration of findings of multiple levels of research, from human genetics to mouse models, have made considerable progress towards the understanding of ASD pathophysiology, allowing the development of more effective targeted drug therapies. The present review discusses the current state of pharmacological research in ASD based on the emerging common pathophysiology signature.
Animals ; Autistic Disorder* ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Drug Therapy ; Genetics, Medical ; Humans ; Mice ; Phenotype ; Population Characteristics ; Social Behavior ; Stereotyped Behavior

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of various treatment modalities including pharmacotherapy, education-behavior therapy, and complementary alternative treatment for children with mental retardation (MR) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Korea. METHODS: The sample consisted of 50 parents who have children with MR (N=28) or ASD (N=22), 38 boys, 12 girls ; mean age 14.06 (4.14) years old. A questionnaire was composed of the experienced modality, duration, cost, satisfaction etc. RESULTS: According to the results, 56.0%, 100.0%, and 36.0% of children with MR or ASD have experienced pharmacological treatment, educational-behavioral therapy and complementary alternative medicine (CAM), respectively. Children who experienced education-behavioral therapy and CAM experienced 3.52 kinds of education-behavioral therapy and 2.78 kinds of CAM, respectively. Monthly cost of pharmacological treatment was lowest among three modality categories. Regarding treatment satisfaction by parental report, the lowest score was recorded fir CAM. CONCLUSION: Parents who have a child with MR or ASD are trying many treatment modalities and feeling the burden of their treatment.
Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Complementary Therapies ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability* ; Korea ; Parents ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In clinical practice, pharmacological treatment is mostly focused on behavioral symptoms in everyday life. Nevertheless, persistent effort continues to develop medication for causal treatment. Recent changes in diagnostic criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) to DSM-5 would affect not only diagnosing approaches, but also therapeutic approaches. Because previous pervasive developmental disorders have been integrated into a single entity, the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we have to prepare for what medications are valuable for the ASD. In this article, we reviewed the following etiological treatment: acetylcholine and glutamate related medicine; amino acid medicine such as secretin, endogenous opioid, and oxytocin; complementary and alternative medicine such as chelating agents, vitamins, and omega-3; promising drugs related to the scope of pharmacogenetics currently under study.
Acetylcholine ; Behavioral Symptoms ; Chelating Agents ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Complementary Therapies ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Drug Therapy* ; Glutamic Acid ; Oxytocin ; Pharmacogenetics ; Secretin ; Vitamins