
Omega-3 Fatty AcidsOmega-3 fatty acids have been examined as potential treatments for ASD, specifically for the associated symptom of hyperactivity. A 14-week open label trial of melatonin in children with autism (ages 3–9 years) showed melatonin (mean dose 3 mg) decreased sleep latency, and parents reported improved behaviors and decreased parental stress.Melatonin was reported to be well-tolerated in all the above studies, and it appears to be a safe treatment option for sleep difficulties in children and adolescents with ASD. Melatonin significantly reduced sleep latency and number of awakenings and increased total time asleep when compared to placebo. The findings were statistically significant, and no adverse effects were reported.Ī 9-week randomized controlled crossover trial examined the efficacy of melatonin (5 mg) versus placebo for sleep difficulties in 7 children and adolescents (aged 4 to 16 years) with autism. The study included 18 youth (aged 2 to 15 years), and the group treated with melatonin showed increased sleep duration, shorter sleep latency and earlier sleep onset when compared to the placebo group.

A 4-week randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial found melatonin (3 mg) to be superior to placebo in treating sleep problems in children with autism and/or fragile X syndrome. Melatonin was well-tolerated in this study.

In this crossover trial, melatonin (mean dose 7 mg) was superior to placebo in improving sleep latency and in total amount of sleep, but there was no difference between the two groups in number of night awakenings.


Significant improvement in sleep latency and total nighttime sleep duration was seen in the active treatment group, when compared to placebo, and there was no difference between the groups in reported adverse effects.A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study examined the efficacy of melatonin for sleep difficulties not amenable to behavior management in 22 children and adolescents (aged 3–16 years) with ASD.
