Flashback to the 1960s: LSD in the treatment of autism
Developmental Neurorehabilitation – January 01, 2007
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Between 1959 and 1974, reports on d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) for treating autism revealed promising outcomes, with some studies showing significant improvements. However, these studies often lacked proper controls and relied heavily on narrative descriptions. Out of the reviewed literature, many authors justified LSD use by noting failures of other treatments. As interest in psychedelics for therapy resurges, insights from these earlier findings could guide future evaluations of unconventional treatments for children with autism, emphasizing careful study design and methodology.
Abstract
Between 1959 and 1974, several groups of researchers issued reports on the use of d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in the treatment of children with autism. This paper reviews that literature to consider how the authors justified these studies, as well as their methods, results, and conclusions. The justification for using LSD was often based on the default logic that other treatment efforts had failed. Several positive outcomes were reported with the use of LSD, but most of these studies lacked proper experimental controls and presented largely narrative/descriptive data. Today there is renewed interest in the use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes. While this resurgence of research has not yet included children with autism, this review of the LSD studies from the 1960s and 1970s offers important lessons for future efforts to evaluate new or controversial treatments for children with autism.