Researchers from 8 institutions in five countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Norway, China and England) participated in a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial of 109 children (ages 3-10) to determine the efficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) patients. Of those participating, 57% had vitamin D deficiency, and 30% had vitamin D insufficiency. These levels were linked with the severity of autism. During the 4 month trial, patients received either 300 IU of vitamin D3 per kg of body weight (never exceeding 5,000 IU/day) or placebo. Autism severity and social maturity of the participants were assessed using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Scores tracked symptoms such as irritability, hyperactivity, social withdrawal and inappropriate speech. In the treated group, CARS scores improved in 94.6%, while only 5.4% showed no improvement. This research follows previous findings suggesting an association between the risk of ASD and low vitamin D levels.
Khaled Saad, et al. Randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2016. Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12652