171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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August 2008
Do dietary supplements help treat autism?
For parents of kids diagnosed with autism, the use of dietary supplements is a hot topic.
"We know vitamins and supplements are popular in terms of autism treatments, but we're not sure if they actually work," says Laura Arnstein Carpenter, PhD. "Parents and providers want to know which treatments are empirically supported. Behavioral treatment has empirical support, but there has been limited evaluation of these other types of bio medical treatments."
Supplements have been widely marketed as valid treatments for autism, she says, but few have undergone rigorous empirical inspection.
Dr. Carpenter is about to change that. The assistant professor of Pediatrics at MUSC recently won a healthy grant to evaluate a dietary supplement intervention for autism.
Funded by Autism Speaks, the nation's top private funder of autism research, the $272,000 award is the first funded grant at MUSC to directly examine bio-medical treatments for autism. Dr. Carpenter is the principal investigator.
The new grant expands on MUSC's autism-related research to include research on treatment options.
"By evaluating different treatments, we can provide feedback for our families who have children with autism, so they know what to spend their money and time on."
Co-investigator on the grant is the DCRI's Lindsay Devane, who will be looking at the possible role of genetics in predicting response to treatment. Food-sciences expert Jennifer Donovan is also co-investigator.
Led by Jane Charles, MD, and Joyce Nicholas, MD, the autism research team has focused primarily on epidemiology, looking at the prevalence of autism in South Carolina for the past five years.
Dr. Carpenter, who has a clinical psychology background, is excited to now add a focus on treatment and behavioral outcomes.
"There's a big behavior component to this study - we want to see real behavioral changes in these children," she notes.
Using a double blind placebo trial, the study will focus on children between five and 12 years of age, with multiple outcome measures to assess changes in mood and behavior.
She hopes it will be the first of many studies to take a closer look at the variety of bio medical interventions used in the treatment of autism.
"We hope to gain better information for our families about what interventions are effective," she adds.
On the front lines of autism treatment, Dr. Carpenter talks to families and sees hundreds of children with the condition every year.
"Our concern is that families are spending time, money and resources on experimental interventions that might not prove effective."
What she and her fellow researchers find, says Dr. Carpenter, might also lead to clues as to what causes autism.
"And that is the biggest mystery."
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Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's Research Inst. |
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Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's Research Inst. |
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