The Gut-Brain Study

The purpose of this study is to find out if transplant of fecal matter (stool), also known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), from a healthy person into the intestines of children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For this study children between the ages of 5-17years will be recruited over 2 years. Children will be recruited who receive an ASD diagnosis using the gold-standard Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule -2 (ADOS-2) using module 1, 2 or 3 (none, limited or no moderate expressive language). Children diagnosed with these modules of the ADOS-2 may be at greater risk for GI disorders and rigid-compulsive behaviors. Additional assessment of rigid-compulsive behaviors and social communication will be done using the Repetitive Behavioral Scales-Revised (RBS-R) and Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2), respectively. KBIT (the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test) is used at baseline to obtain patient IQ. Total evaluation time is approximately 90 minutes. Following baseline symptom evaluation, a medical exam will be performed to determine whether each child is expressing specific GI symptoms. In addition, parents will fill out the Questionnaire for Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms- Rome III (QPGS-III). Once an ASD diagnosis is confirmed, FMT treatment will be initiated, which typically occurs within 4-6 weeks of the initial diagnosis. Half 50% of the children (n=5) will receive the equivalent of 50 g of stools from a healthy donor into the jejunum through upper endoscopy and the other 50% off children (n=5) will receive Saline solution as Placebo control through upper endoscopy. Subjects will have a total of 5 visits within 24 weeks including phone call follow up on Day 7 after FMT.