Patients deserve safe and effective care
By University of Southampton
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition
that affects how people communicate, process information, and interact with
others. It is estimated to affect around 1 in 100 people worldwide.
In a study published in Nature Human Behaviour,
researchers from Paris Nanterre University, Paris Cité University, and the
University of Southampton reviewed 248 meta-analyses, which together included
200 clinical trials and more than 10,000 participants.
The research examined how well complementary, alternative,
and integrative medicines (CAIMs) work in treating autism, as well as their
safety. The team analyzed 19 different approaches, such as animal-assisted
therapy, acupuncture, herbal remedies, music therapy, probiotics, and Vitamin
D.
The team also created an online platform to make it
easier for people to see the evidence they generated on different CAIMS.
Autism and the Search for Better Treatments
Autistic people can find it hard to communicate, understand
how people think or feel, be overwhelmed by sensory information, become anxious
in unfamiliar surroundings, and carry out repetitive behaviors.
All of this can interfere with their quality of life, and up
to 90% report having used CAIMs at least once in their lifetime.
“Many parents of autistic children, as well as autistic
adults, turn to complementary and alternative medicines hoping they may help
without unwanted side effects,” says Professor Richard Delorme, Head of the
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit at Robert Debré Hospital in Paris.
“However, it is necessary to carefully consider evidence
from rigorous randomized trials before concluding that these treatments should
be tried.”
The Power of an Umbrella Review
Researchers carried out an umbrella review – a type of study
that pulls together evidence to give an overall ‘big picture’ summary.
Dr. Corentin Gosling, Associate Professor at the Paris
Nanterre University and first author of the study, explains: “Rather than
looking at individual trials, we reviewed all the available meta-analyses,
which are a compilation of many trials. This allowed us to evaluate the full
body of evidence across different treatments.
“Importantly, we also developed a free and easy-to-use
online platform, which we will continue to test. Ultimately, we hope this tool
will support autistic people and practitioners in choosing together the best
treatment.”
While some treatments showed potential, most studies were
supported by weak or poor-quality evidence, so the effects are not reliable.
Concerningly, safety assessments were missing for most treatments, with less
than half of CAIMs having had any evaluation of the acceptability,
tolerability, or adverse events.
Professor Samuele Cortese, NIHR Research Professor at the
University of Southampton and co-senior author, concluded: “This study shows
that when people want to know whether a treatment is effective, they shouldn’t
just look at one single study. It’s essential to consider all the available
evidence and how good that evidence is. Drawing conclusions from one
low-quality study can be misleading.”
Reference: “Complementary, alternative and integrative
medicine for autism: an umbrella review and online platform” by Corentin J.
Gosling, Laure Boisseleau, Marco Solmi, Micheal Sandbank, Lucie Jurek, Mikail
Nourredine, Gabriella Porcu, Elisa Murgia, Joaquim Radua, Paolo Fusar-Poli,
Klara Kovarski, Serge Caparos, Ariane Cartigny, Samuele Cortese and Richard
Delorme, 28 August 2025, Nature Human Behaviour.
DOI:
10.1038/s41562-025-02256-9
The research was funded by Agence Nationale de la Recherche
(ANR).
