Description: Administration of secretin, a hormone involved in digestion. This hormone (which can be natural or synthetic) is administered intravenously, orally or transdermally.

Research Summary: Fourteen large, well-designed studies with many hundreds of individuals with autism spectrum disorders have shown that secretin is ineffective (Williams, Wray, & Wheeler, 2005). Secretin is an inappropriate treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Recommendations: Secretin is not a useful intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Selected References:

Systematic reviews of scientific studies:

Williams, K. W., Wray, J. J., & Wheeler, D. M. (2012). Intravenous secretin for autism spectrum disorder. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003495.pub3

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