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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Pilot study of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement for children with autistic spectrum disorder
James B Adams1, Charles Holloway
1Arizona State University, PO Box 876006, Tempe, AZ 85287-6006, USA. jim.adams@asu.edu
Insights
A multivitamin/mineral supplement improved sleep and gastrointestinal issues in children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic children showed high vitamin B6 levels, suggesting a potential need for supplementation to aid conversion to its active form.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Nutritional interventions are being explored for managing ASD symptoms.
- Vitamin B6 metabolism abnormalities have been suggested in individuals with ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of a moderate-dose multivitamin/mineral supplement in children with ASD.
- To assess the impact of supplementation on sleep and gastrointestinal problems.
- To examine vitamin B6 and C levels in children with ASD.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Involved twenty children diagnosed with ASD, aged 3-8 years.
- Supplementation duration was 3 months.
Main Results:
- The multivitamin/mineral group showed significant improvements in sleep and gastrointestinal symptoms compared to placebo.
- Children with ASD exhibited substantially elevated baseline vitamin B6 levels (75% higher than controls).
- Supplemented children had near-average vitamin C levels, while the placebo group had below-average levels.
Conclusions:
- The high vitamin B6 levels in ASD may indicate impaired conversion to its active form, pyridoxal-5-phosphate.
- This finding supports the potential therapeutic role of vitamin B6 supplementation in certain individuals with ASD.
- Multivitamin/mineral supplementation may offer benefits for sleep and GI issues in children with ASD.
Objective:
Determine the effect of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement on children with autistic spectrum disorder.
Design:
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 3-month study.
Subjects:
Twenty (20) children with autistic spectrum disorder, ages 3-8 years.
Results:
A Global Impressions parental questionnaire found that the supplement group reported statistically significant improvements in sleep and gastrointestinal problems compared to the placebo group. An evaluation of vitamin B(6) levels prior to the study found that the autistic children had substantially elevated levels of B6 compared to a control group of typical children (75% higher, p < 0.0000001). Vitamin C levels were measured at the end of the study, and the placebo group had levels that were significantly below average for typical children, whereas the supplement group had near-average levels.
Discussion:
The finding of high vitamin B(6) levels is consistent with recent reports of low levels of pyridoxal-5-phosphate and low activity of pyridoxal kinase (i.e., pyridoxal is only poorly converted to pyridoxal-5-phosphate, the enzymatically active form). This may explain the functional need for high-dose vitamin B(6) supplementation in many children and adults with autism.
