Oxytocin spray improves social skills in some children with autism, world-first study shows

A world-first study has found a hormone commonly used to induce labour in pregnant women, oxytocin, has significant benefits for some children with autism.

One in 68 Australian children is diagnosed with the disorder, which affects their communication skills and makes it difficult for them to interact socially.

"Often people with autism are incredibly bright and have lots of potential in so many ways," Associate Professor Adam Guastella, from the University of Sydney, said.

"But they often miss the important cues that guide social behaviour."

In the study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, Researchers at the University's Brain and Mind Institute looked at 31 children aged three to eight and monitored them over 15 weeks.

During a five-week period, the children were given a nasal spray containing oxytocin.