Flashback to the 1960s: LSD in the treatment of autism

Between 1959 and 1974, researchers published several reports on treating autistic children with LSD, often justifying the studies because other treatments had failed. The studies reported some positive outcomes, but most lacked proper experimental controls and relied on narrative or descriptive data. Today, interest in psychedelic therapies is reviving, but this research has not yet included autistic children. This review of the older LSD studies offers lessons for evaluating new or controversial treatments for autism.

Study at a glance

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.