Written by:
Elizabeth Hardesty, MA, BCBA, Kassidy Ashbeck, MS, BCBA, and Thomas Zane, PhD, BCBA-D
Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas
Caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may often feel a sense of urgency to find an intervention that will help their loved one. According to self-advocates, autistic people may socialize, communicate, think, and move differently than neurotypical individuals, and may require varying levels of support in daily life. Additionally, autistic individuals may become overstimulated by various changes in their environment (e.g., sensory input, change in routine) and may use strategies such as alternative forms of communication or stimming to regulate and express themselves (Autistic Self Advocacy Network, n.d.). Some individuals with ASD may be more likely to engage in a variety of behaviors that reduce their access and inclusion to community spaces (Mazurek et al., 2013; Quetsch et al., 2023). These behaviors may include crying, dropping to the ground, hitting, kicking, or any behavior that could be harmful to the individual or others. The impact of such behaviors can place additional strain on parents, caregivers, and other providers who support an individual with ASD (Brown et al., 2019). For example, a preferred or local school may not be able to provide individualized support to an individual with ASD exhibiting challenging behaviors resulting in the individual attending a school with a longer bus ride or in another town.
As a result of these challenges, it is not surprising that families and loved ones supporting individuals with ASD may seek alternative or complementary therapies, such as dietary or sensory interventions. Complementary therapies are typically used in conjunction with other, evidence-based interventions such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech and language therapy, occupational therapy (OT), or physical therapy (PT). Proponents of various complementary therapies say they observe an increase in the effectiveness of traditional therapies “overnight” after starting the complementary therapy. One complementary therapy that is beginning to gain momentum is the use of camel milk as a dietary supplement.
What is Camel Milk Therapy?
Camel milk has received attention for both individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals since the early 2000s (Ait El Alia et al., 2025; Cheikh Ismail et al., 2022; Johnson, 2024; Loftus & McLean, 2025). Camel milk has traditionally been consumed in desert-like climates such as Northeast Africa and parts of Asia. Camel milk is rich in essential vitamins and minerals and lacks lactose sugars that may cause gastric distress in those who are lactose-intolerant (Khaliq et al., 2024). Other health benefits to consuming camel milk that have been proposed include reduced cholesterol intake, reduced sugar intake, and nutrients to support an individual’s immune system (Khaliq et al., 2024).
Camel milk began to be evaluated as a complementary therapy for individuals with ASD after a detailed patient report was written by Christina Adams, a mother of a child diagnosed with ASD (Adams, 2013). Adams began by sharing her son’s developmental progress with early intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention. After these services concluded, her son faced challenges later in his life with respect to hyperactivity, attention, and self-regulation. After introducing camel milk into her son’s diet, Adams described her son experiencing an “overnight” improvement that maintained for six consecutive years (from 10-16 years of age). Following the publication of this patient report, small groups of researchers began investigating the impact of camel milk on behavior in children with ASD and proposed that camel milk may increase social cognition and awareness for individuals with ASD (e.g., Al-Ayadhi et al., 2015).
How is Camel Milk Therapy Implemented with Individuals with Autism?
Typically, camel milk is provided to the individual with ASD as a staple in their diet to replace or supplement the milk of another animal (e.g., cow, human, goat, sheep) or plant-based milk alternative (e.g., almond, soy, oat, coconut, rice). Advocates of camel milk therapy suggest providing camel milk as the default drink during meals or snacks. The camel milk-products consumed include raw (unpasteurized) milk, boiled (pasteurized) milk, yogurt, or flavored milk (Cheikh Ismail et al., 2022). Camel milk is typically imported into the United States from providers in countries with native camel species. Camel milk is produced at a much lower volume compared to cow milk, making it more expensive for families to purchase. According to a brief cursory search by the authors of this article, in July 2026, the price of a pint of camel milk can cost over $13 compared to $3.79 for a gallon of cow’s milk or $4.09 for a gallon of almond milk purchased on Amazon. Families considering the use of camel milk therapy are typically recommended to directly purchase camel milk from trusted and safe camel farms. It is important to note that although camel milk can be purchased through large, commercial websites (e.g., Amazon), the actual supplier of the camel milk may not be considered safe by United States standards. It is also worth noting that the Food and Drug Administration does not directly regulate the quality of camel milk within the United States (Food and Drug Administration, 2026). Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture does not publicize their regulations for importing camel milk into the United States. Overall, it is unclear how high quality and safe camel milk can be bought and consumed by families in the United States.
Does Science Support Camel Milk Therapy?
The current literature for camel milk therapy primarily consists of papers advocating for research to evaluate the potential benefits of camel milk therapy to support individuals with ASD (e.g., Adams, 2013; Al-Beltagi, 2024; Gahlot & Adams, 2023; McPherson, 2025; Shabo & Yagil, 2005). A total of five clinical trials have been conducted evaluating the potential benefits of consuming camel milk to individuals with ASD (Al-Ayadhi et al., 2022; Al-Ayadhi & Elamin, 2013; Al-Ayadhi et al., 2015; Bashir & Al-Ayadhi, 2014; Mostafa et al., 2021). Four of these studies focused primarily on the biochemical and physiological effects of consuming camel milk. Only one study focused on behavioral changes of individuals with ASD (Al-Ayadhi et al., 2015).
Al-Ayadhi et al. (2015) conducted a group-design study comparing changes in participant behavior, cognition, socialization, and health traits after participants consumed one of three milk options. Neither experimenters nor participants knew which intervention they were provided. Sixty-five children between the ages of 2-12 living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a diagnosis of ASD participated. The researchers conducted interview assessments with each participant’s primary caregiver(s) to determine ASD characteristics experienced by the child and family using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Both the CARS and SRS are assessments in which the caregivers of each participant answered various questions related to the impact of ASD on an individual’s life. The CARS indicates the overall impact of ASD with higher scores indicating a greater impact on an individual’s independence; the SRS looks at specific concepts related to social skills such as social cognition, social awareness, and social communication. Both assessments were conducted prior to each participant being placed in one of three groups. Participants in group 1 received pasteurized camel milk that had been frozen. Participants in group 2 received unpasteurized camel milk that was tested for common bacteria and determined to be safe before being frozen. Participants in Group 3 received frozen cow milk and were considered the placebo or control group. The researchers instructed the caregivers of each participant to place the delivered milk on the counter to thaw before providing 500 mL of milk as part of the child’s daily diet for 2 weeks. Researchers requested the caregivers avoid making any routine, therapy, or medication changes during the 2-week period. Researchers typically make this request to ensure there are not any other factors that may have contributed to any behavior change except for the intervention prescribed by the researchers. Caregivers and researchers communicated any observed behavioral changes during the 2-week period by phone call; however, the details of these phone calls, such as frequency and questions asked, were not specified. Following the 2-week trial period, the primary caregiver(s) of each participant completed the CARS and SRS again.
The researchers reported a decrease in CARS scores for all children who consumed any type of camel milk compared to cow milk. The changes in CARS scores were found to be statistically significant (i.e., a change in scores that indicates something other than pure chance changed the scores). No major differences were identified based on the pasteurization status of the camel milk. The SRS scores for participants in the unpasteurized camel milk group showed significant changes in the social cognition, social communication, and social awareness subscales. Significant changes in the social cognition subscale were observed for participants in the pasteurized camel milk group. Although all reported outcomes were statistically significant, the average CARS scores provided in the article showed all three groups scored lower after the 2-week trial. Notably, the placebo group’s average CARS score was lower than those for either camel milk group before individuals received any milk therapy. Further, the number of participants in each group was not equal, with the placebo group having less participants than either camel milk group. This means that the placebo group’s scores would have to decrease much more than the camel milk groups’ scores for the results to be considered statistically significant, indicating a potential bias in group selection. An unequal grouping of participants likely skews the results from this study.
Unfortunately, this is not the only study evaluating the efficacy of camel milk therapy with concerns of skewed results based on participant grouping. Recently, Kandeel et al. (2024) conducted a meta-analysis of all five clinical trials published on camel milk therapy. Kandeel et al. evaluated the changes in CARS scores for 299 child participants diagnosed with ASD who had consumed either camel milk or a control drink (typically cow milk). Results of the meta-analysis concluded that when evaluated together, no significant difference in CARS scores were detected regardless of the milk participants consumed. Further, Kandeel et al. concluded that four of the five studies (including Al-Ayadhi et al., 2015) were flagged for experimental control concerns because the authors did not clearly describe how participants were assigned to each group. This is an extremely important consideration because the studies included in the meta-analysis were published as randomized control trials. However, if the groups were not randomized, then the results of the studies may be skewed in favor of one of the interventions. It is imperative that science remains, to the best of the researcher’s ability, unbiased for the safety of the public.
In addition to these concerns, group design research may not be the most beneficial to identify specific behavior change for individuals. Without an evaluation of individual scores, the decrease in the group score may be due to one or two individuals of the group experiencing drastic behavior change that resulted in a large change of the group’s average score that was considered significant after statistical analyses were conducted. If this occurred, the other members of the group may not have experienced any behavior change. In a worst-case scenario, one group member may experience a large behavior change towards desired outcomes while a different group member experiences a large behavior change further from desired outcomes. Ultimately, without evaluating individual scores, it is unknown how individual behavior change was affected in the available studies. Similarly, no objective behavioral data were collected by experimenters. All behavioral data reported were gathered by interview or questionnaires (notably, completed by the caregivers themselves, who had significant interests in the results) which can be biased depending on: (a) the relationship between the interviewer and interviewee, (b) the wording of the question, (c) recent interactions between the individual responding to the interview or questionnaire and the participant, and (d) subtle, often subconscious or seemingly harmless, hints from the interviewer about how the interviewee should respond. Given these limitations, extreme caution should be taken when attempting to determine a clear cause-and-effect relationship between drinking camel milk and changes in behavior.
Considering the lack of evidence currently available, camel milk cannot be considered supported by science at this time. Not only is there a lack of experiments conducted on this therapy, but the results also do not suggest that camel milk has strong evidence of effectiveness. So, there is no scientific reason for drinking it as a treatment for autism. Researchers seeking to establish camel milk as an evidence-based therapy should collect direct observation data on the behavior of participants before and after drinking camel milk. Researchers should also consider conducting their studies for longer than 2 weeks to determine any long-term behavioral changes observed. Finally, researchers should begin publishing the group and individual data of participants such that those interested can evaluate if the group average changes due to the majority of the participants’ scores changing or a few members of the group changing dramatically.
What Else Should We Consider?
Despite the lack of research supporting the reported benefits of camel milk, it would be careless not to consider the possible biological underpinnings that can influence the behavior of individuals with ASD. Specifically, research suggests that between 50-70% of individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities suffer from constipation regularly (Robertson et al., 2017). Behavior analysts and other professionals supporting individuals with ASD have long been concerned with the relationship between constipation and challenging behavior (Christensen et al., 2009; Copeland & Buch, 2020; May & Kennedy, 2010; Mazurek et al., 2013). Therefore, it may be that individuals who experience or report overnight changes in themselves or loved ones when starting camel milk therapy may be experiencing a relief in gastrointestinal distress that in turn decreases challenging behavior. For individuals with ASD and limited communication, it may be especially challenging to determine if they are experiencing regular gastrointestinal distress due to one of many possible food or environmental allergies. Therefore, caregivers of individuals with ASD may want to consider regular allergy tests to monitor and prevent symptoms of allergies an individual may be experiencing. Researchers should evaluate the behavior change of individuals with ASD when they consume a variety of milk alternatives (e.g., goat, coconut, rice, almond) in place of camel or cow milk.
For individuals with ASD who do not have regular gastrointestinal distress, common symptoms of allergies, or experience a large and immediate change in behavior after a change in their diet, caregivers may consider seeking support from a behavior analyst. Behavior analysts have developed effective assessment and intervention strategies for addressing challenging behavior and teaching functional communication (Melanson & Fahmie, 2023). Specifically, working with a behavior analyst will provide individuals with ASD the resources to identify and measure specific behaviors they would like to change. Behavior analysts are specialists in “single-subject design,” meaning an individual’s behavior is directly observed, measured, and analyzed based on any changes made to the individual’s environment, biology, or diet. Therefore, behavior analysts may be best suited to provide clear and individualized evaluations of the behavioral impact of complementary therapies to determine which therapies may be worth a financial or emotional cost.
Further, behavior analysts may also assist families by collaborating with medical providers to determine how gastrointestinal distress and other biological factors may influence challenging behavior and begin to find methods to support individuals with ASD and families supporting individuals with ASD (Copeland & Buch, 2020). It will also be important for researchers to evaluate potential complementary therapies in conjunction with current evidence-based therapies to determine the extent to which these therapies are truly complementary and not detrimental to evidence-based therapy outcomes. In other words, research would benefit from evaluating the use of camel milk to change behavior for various groups of individuals with ASD: Those who receive an evidence-based therapy alone, those who receive evidence-based and camel milk therapies, and those who only receive camel milk therapy.
What is the Gist?
Camel milk therapy, as a complementary therapy to support individuals with ASD, is not empirically supported, and autistic individuals, parents, and caregivers who prioritize the use of treatments proven to work should avoid it. It is also recommended to consult with a primary care physician to determine food sensitivities or allergies for individuals with ASD prior to evaluating specific diets or expensive alternatives to common foods. Then, for individuals with ASD who are experiencing chronic gastrointestinal distress, specific diet changes can be made that will be most likely to increase their comfort and quality of life. Those interested in dietary treatments for ASD may be interested in reading a recent ASAT treatment summary by McHugh (2026). Finally, caregivers of individuals with ASD may consider consulting with a behavior analyst to specifically identify and track changes in behavior to determine if dietary changes are truly bettering an individual’s life.
References
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Ait El Alia, O., Zine-Eddine, Y., Chaji, S., Boukrouh, S., Boutoial, K., & Faye, B. (2015). Global camel milk industry: A comprehensive overview of production, consumption trends, market evolution, and value chain efficiency. Small Ruminant Research, 243, 107441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107441
Al-Ayadhi, L. Y., & Elamin, N. E. (2013). Camel milk as a potential therapy as an antioxidant in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/602834
Al-Ayadhi, L. Y., Halepoto, D. M., Al-Dress, A. M., Mitwali, Y., & Zainah, R. (2015). Behavioral benefits of camel milk in subjects with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, 25(11), 819-823. https://doi.org/11.2015/jcpsp.819823
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Shabo, Y. & Yagil, R. (2005). Etiology of autism and camel milk as therapy. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 4(2), 67-60. https://doi.org/10.1515/IJDHD.2005.4.2.67
Reference for this article:
Hardesty, E., Ashbeck, A., & Zane, T. (2026). Camel Milk Intervention: Is There Science Behind That?. Science in Autism Treatment, 23(10).
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