This article shows that vitamin C can improve behavior in children with autism.
In this well-controlled study, the authors test the idea that vitamin C may be a useful alternative therapy for children with autism. One group of 18 children with autism (6 to 19 years old) was split into two treatment groups with 9 children each. One group received vitamin C (8 g/70 kg/day or about 2 grams daily for a 40-pound child) for 20 weeks and placebo for 10 weeks, and the other group received the same dose of vitamin C for 10 weeks, placebo for 10 weeks, and vitamin C at the same dose for 10 more weeks. During each 10-week period, behaviors were scored by trained behavior raters who did not know what treatment the children had received. Social, emotional, sensory, and language behaviors were scored. The authors found a significant improvement in total behavior scores after vitamin C treatment followed placebo treatment, and a significant worsening of these scores after vitamin C treatment was stopped and placebo was taken for 10 weeks.
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