The Effects of Oxytocin on Complex Social Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Inclusion Criteria: * In good physical health * Meet criteria for ASD according to psychiatric interview using the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) * Must be a history of developmental delay * Must meet full criteria for ASD on the Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised (ADI-R) on either the social or communication domains and within two points on other domain (only if parent available for interview) * Must meet full criteria for ASD on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule- Generic (ADOS-G) on the social domain. Meeting for ASD on the communication domain and total domain is not necessary * Must have a verbal IQ greater than 75, as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- Fourth Edition (WAIS- III). Intelligence testing performed at other sites or through another protocol at this site within the past year will also be accepted * Capability of performing experimental tasks (i.e. can read and understand task instructions, cooperate with procedures) * Informed consent and capacity * Female participants must remain on birth control for the duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with any primary psychiatric diagnosis at screening * Participants with a medical history of neurological disease, including, but not limited to, epilepsy/seizure disorder (except simple febrile seizures), movement disorder, tuberous sclerosis, fragile X, and any other known genetic syndromes, or known abnormal MRI/structural lesion of the brain * …