A recent study published in a pediatric medical journal indicated secretin has no benefits for kids with autism. The research studied 85 children between the ages of 3 and 12 with the neurological disorder, which hits one or two children in every 2,000.

"There is just no illness-specific medication that will make this go away," said Dr. Edward Goldson, a University of Colorado pediatric researcher and an author on the study. "It's a different kind of disorder. Some of the kids are striking and very bright and physically beautiful, but they can't function in society. Parents grope and try to find some answers."

Goldson said that of his 35 patients, none has been prescribed secretin. The drug is normally administered in a single intravenous dose. Another couple of studies, one in particular sponsored by the drug's maker, Repligen, will look at whether continuous doses of secretin will help kids with autism.

Because there is no drug to cure autism, Goldson prescribes treatments that help what the child is having problems with. "I try to treat the symptom, not the whole disorder," he said.

Doctors have not discovered where autism comes from. Goldson said he believes it probably stems from genetics and environmental factors.

Goldson completed the study with researchers from the University of Washington. The results were published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.