A pilot study, appearing in Biological Psychiatry (2007 Feb 15;61(4):551-3), looked at the effect supplementation had on children with autism. The subjects of the double-blind, placebo-controlled study were 13 autistic children who were also prone to tantrums and aggressiveness. were given either a placebo or 1.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids for a period of six weeks. The supplementation tended to reduce hyperactivity and stereotypy (stereotypy is the excessive repetition or lack of variation in movements, ideas, or patterns of speech, especially when viewed as a symptom of certain developmental or psychiatric disorders). The children were evaluated using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist. The authors of the study believe that the results give preliminary evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective treatment for autism.