A new autism therapy may be on the way — and it’s got everyone talking.
Researchers in China have developed a brain stimulation technique that’s showing early promise in improving social communication skills among children with autism.
That could be significant, given that for many on the spectrum, communication and language challenges are some of the greatest hurdles they face in daily life.
In the study, researchers recruited 167 boys and 33 girls between the ages of 4 and 10 who had autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects how a person socializes, communicates, learns and behaves.
Half also had an intellectual disability — which, in general, affects about a third of those with autism.
The 200 participants were randomly split into two groups. Half received the non-invasive brain stimulation technique known as accelerated continuous theta burst stimulation (a-cTBS), while the other half underwent a “sham” procedure that acted as a control for comparison.
The treatment protocol ran for five consecutive days, with each child completing 10 sessions per day.
During each session, scientists placed a magnetic coil on the scalp of participants in the a-cTBS group, delivering gentle pulses to the brain’s left primary motor cortex, a region linked to movement, language and social cognition.
The goal of the treatment is to help regulate brain activity by calming overactive areas and boosting underactive ones, with the aim of improving brain flexibility and strengthening the networks involved in communication.
Once the regimen was complete, the researchers used a tool called the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) to measure changes in the participants’ social communication, comparing scores at baseline, immediately after treatment and again at a one-month follow-up.
They found that the a-cTBS group showed significantly greater improvements in social communication compared to the control group, both right after treatment and at one month.
The a-cTBS group also had greater gains in language abilities.
Side effects were reported more often in the treatment group, with restlessness and scalp discomfort the most common complaints. Fortunately, all of the adverse reactions were mild to moderate and cleared up on their own.
There were some limits to the research, including possible bias from participants expecting improvement and a relatively short follow-up period of just one month.
Still, the researchers said the results suggest a-cTBS may be “a feasible, effective and scalable therapeutic option for children with autism spectrum disorder, including those with intellectual disability.”
But not everyone is ready to embrace the findings just yet.
“This is a very good and promising start,” Roi Cohen Kadosh, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Surrey, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement. “That said, the results should be interpreted with some caution.”
Kadosh noted that the a-cTBS group started the study with higher average SRS-2 scores than the control group, meaning they had more severe difficulties at baseline.
“This is worth noting because baseline differences between groups can sometimes partly contribute to the size of the improvement seen after treatment,” he said. “A longer follow-up is needed to determine whether the benefits are durable.”
Others raised questions about the study population.
“I am concerned about the use of brain stimulation in such a young population, as we are still uncertain about its effect on the developing brain,” David McGonigle, lecturer in the Schools of Psychology and Biosciences at Cardiff University, who wasn’t involved in the research, said in a statement.
Even so, the need for new tools is clear — especially as autism diagnoses continue to rise.
Across the country, rates have climbed from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 31 by 2022. Scientists largely attribute the increase to broader diagnostic criteria, improved screening and greater awareness.
Among children with autism, research suggests about 3 in 4 have some level of language impairment by kindergarten age. Up to 35% are minimally verbal or do not speak at all.
Many families turn to specialists such as speech pathologists to help improve communication, but progress varies widely from child to child.
The impact can be wide-ranging. In childhood, communication difficulties are often linked to frustration, social isolation, anxiety and behavioral challenges, with effects to school performance and self-esteem.
Long-term studies also suggest that early language ability is one of the strongest predictors of later outcomes in autism, including academic success and independent living as adults.
