Children With Special Needs: B12 Injections Ease Autism Symptoms In Some Children

A small study emerged wherein regular B12 injections can improve autism symptoms. The small group revealed positive results among children with autistic symptoms.

According to Autism Speaks, a study supported by Autism Speaks consists 50 children diagnosed with autism ages 3 to 7. The half of the subjects were injected by methyl B12 (75 mg per kg of the child's weight) every 3 days in a span of 8 weeks. The other half, on the other hand, were just given a shot of saline solution to make it seem like they're getting the actual treatment.

At the end of the study, it was revealed that those who received B12 shots had better scores on the CGI-scale compared to those who were given the placebo. The other two measures, however , the ones involving the severity of the autism symptoms didn't show any signs of significant differences between both groups. The study was then published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Dr. Paul Wang, the senior vice president for medical research for Autism Speaks stated that placebo-controlled studies are significant when doing a research such as looking for methods in easing autism. He iterated the importance of not setting expectations in terms of the study's effectiveness in terms of providing the cure.

"It's very important to have placebo-controlled studies like this one," Dr. Wang said. "Open-label studies, where everyone knows they're getting the treatment, commonly show promising effects that reflect expectations rather than treatment effectiveness."

A research published in Pharmacy Times then pointed out that some children are miss diagnosed with autism as they are just having a B12 deficiency. It was pointed out that lack of Cobalamin (B12) can lead to a serious brain injury in children if left undiagnosed.

If the child is not given enough B12 supplement, it can lead to side effects wherein the traits are similar to autism symptoms. As it progressed and if left untreated, permanent brain injury may likely to occur.