Autism Therapy: stereotyped behavior

definition of stereotyped behavior: Repetitive physical movements common in autism, like hand flapping.

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Can the Pathophysiology of Autism be Explained by the Nature of the Discovered Urine Peptides?
Nutr Neurosci., by Reichelt, KL, and Knivsberg AM, published in 2003, summarized Nov 14, 2006

This article describes how gluten and casein elimination diets may help children with autism.

The author describes the evidence showing that children with autism may have digestive systems that do not work properly. As a result, small bits of protein by-products may leak from their intestines into their bloodstream. Some of these by-products are called casomorphines (from dairy products) and gluteomorphines (from oats, barley, rye, and wheat products). They may act like a drug, affecting behavior and the brain. The author lists some of the symptoms common among children with autism and describes how these by-products could cause these symptoms. These symptoms include: stereotyped behavior, lack of social involvement, epilepsy, self-destructive or pain-inflicting behavior, immune system problems, and sleep problems. Finally, research showing the positive effects of gluten and casein elimination diets is described, and the author asserts that these diets may work better for younger children.


Effects of Pyridoxine and Magnesium on Autistic Symptoms—Initial Observations
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, by Lelord, G., Muh JP, Barthelemy C., Martineau J., Garreau B., and Callaway E., published in 1981, summarized Oct 21, 2006

This article reports that the behavior of some children with autism can be improved by high doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium.

This is a follow-up study to previous work showing that the withdrawal of vitamin B6 had negative influences on the behavior of children with autism. The first experiment in this study focuses on 44 children (3.5 to 16 years old) who had been diagnosed with â??autistic symptomsâ? (social withdrawal, stereotyped behavior, tantrums, and hypersensitivity to sensory stimulation). All children received vitamin B6 at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight daily (about 545 mg daily for a 40-pound child) for two weeks; magnesium was also given to each child at several doses depending on body weight, but exact dose is not stated in the article. For 15 of the 44 children (34%), behavior improved during the treatment period, including increases in alertness, reductions in tantrums, and improved overall outlook on life. In 14 of these fifteen children, the improvements disappeared several weeks after the children stopped taking the supplements. The second experiment in this study was a well-controlled, double-blind experiment focusing on 21 of the children who had been included in the first study. As in the first experiment, the supplements were taken for two weeks, and these two weeks either followed or preceded placebo treatment. Ten of the children who had previously improved with the supplements also improved during the supplement treatment, and two of the children who had previously not responded to the supplements had improved behavior this time. There were no significant side effects.


Antagonistic Activity of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) on Dopaminergic Modulation: Apomorphone-Induced Stereotypic Behavior in Mice
Pharmacology, by Deshpande, C., Dhir A., and Kulkarni SK, published in 2006, summarized Oct 21, 2006

This article shows that mice treated with vitamin C (ascorbate) have a complicated response to the treatment: low doses produce more stereotyped behavior; and higher doses produce less.

Dopamine agonists, or compounds that act like dopamine in the brain (for example, amphetamines), produce repetitive, stereotyped behavior in humans and other animals. This article showed that mice that were exposed to a dopamine agonist had less stereotyped behavior if they had been treated with vitamin C at a relatively high dose, and more stereotyped behavior when they were treated with a lower dose of vitamin C. Also, vitamin C at the higher dose made several psychiatric drugs, including haloperidol, more effective in treating these stereotyped behaviors. The authors conclude that vitamin C at higher doses reduces the activity of the dopamine system.


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    • Synonyms for stereotyped behavior include: sterotypic behavior, sterotypical behavior
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