In a clinical trial at five medical centers, doctors are trying to find out whether the hormone secretin can mitigate symptoms of autism, a developmental disorder that strikes an estimated one in 500 children by age 3, robbing them of the ability to interact normally with other people. Some parents, convinced that secretin is all that stands between their children and the relentless progression of the disorder, say they cannot wait for the results. They're taking matters into their own hands, bringing secretin into the USA and using it in ways that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Megan Jager with her doctor, Arnold Brenner. Autism often causes children to lose the ability to speak or make eye contact, and it is marked by bizarre repetitive behaviors.
Parents say their children seem to fade before their eyes, withdrawing into a world of their own.
Shortly after Megan's first birthday, the girl began to change. After two years, her behavior started to snowball. There are no drugs specifically designed to treat autism, a lifelong disorder, though there are medications to ease some symptoms, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. The standard treatment for autistic children and adults involves intensive speech therapy and individualized education. Even though several small studies have found that secretin is no better than a placebo in improving autism symptoms, the parents, desperate for something to help their daughter, took her to a doctor who injected her with the hormone.