New research is showing that a 30-minute long hot bath helps soothe the symptoms of autism, while another study showed that infecting autism children with worms also helped them become more social.
In small, early clinical trials, the unusual treatments - which involve using parasitic worm eggs to trigger anti-inflammatory signals in the gut, or raising the body temperature to mimic the effects of an infection - lowered the repetitive behaviors and other symptoms of the disorders; even so, scientists say the effects must be replicated before the treatments can be considered safe and effective.
The study found that when the children spent half an hour sitting in hot water 39C (102F) made children temporarily more sociable and less prone to repeating the same action over and over again. However, a bath that was just two or three degrees cooler had no effect, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's annual conference heard. The researchers, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, are now studying how a higher temperature helps.
The same researchers also showed that a dose of parasitic worms helped some adults with the condition.
"All three studies are interesting and merit further investigation," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, who was not involved in the studies. "To what extent they can lead to clinical treatment is unclear," Adesman said.
Caroline Hattersley, of the National Autistic Society, said: 'This is a very small study so its findings should be treated with caution, and no hard and fast conclusions should be drawn.
'Autism is a very complex condition and so while research that might enhance our understanding of the condition is helpful, the most important thing is that we work to ensure people with autism receive the support they need to reach their full potential.'
