Breaking Boundaries in Autism Care: The MeRT Debate
- Ishaan S Ahuja
- May 29
- 3 min read
Recently, the medical community focused on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has experimented with new therapeutic options to address specific behavioral challenges affecting individuals with ASD. To date, one of the most popular therapies is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), founded in the 1960s and focused on improving behavioral and communication skills through one-on-one work with a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). One of the most significant benefits of this treatment is that it does not require the use of any side-effect-heavy prescription medications (more on that later). ABA’s primary limitation is its focus on the behavioral aspects of Autism, rather than the biological aspects. A newer therapy, Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT), does just that. MeRT made headlines for its use of magnetic fields to stimulate part of the brain impacted by ASD. In this blog, I’d like to dive deeper into MeRT and understand how it works and weigh the pros and cons of this new therapeutic option.
MeRT aims to stimulate parts of the brain underused due to ASD, including the amygdala, temporoparietal cortex (TPC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and insula. These cortices are the ones primarily hypoactivated in individuals with Autism. This results in behaviors commonly observed in individuals with Autism, including not responding to their name, difficulty writing and understanding spoken language, impaired decision-making, and difficulty managing feelings and emotions. The use of magnetic fields or pulses through a coil to stimulate these parts of the brain stimulates the cortices, leading to improvements in social and linguistic challenges.
Since its introduction in 2011, MeRT has been tested on at least 10,000 patients. These patients range from all severities of Autism, according to the TMS Institute of Arizona, while also ranging across all ages, including children, teens, and adults.
Let’s talk about the pros and cons of MeRT. Like ABA, the therapy’s most significant advantage is that it’s a drug-free, non-invasive procedure, avoiding side effects associated with SSRI medications commonly prescribed as part of Autism therapy (such as diarrhea, constipation, dizziness, and headaches). MeRT’s magnetic waves only target and impact the cortices of the brain that the doctor intends to target to improve behavioral challenges that individuals with Autism face.
However, one of the major drawbacks of MeRT is the significant cost of therapy. For Charlotte O’Neill, an eight-year-old with Autism in San Jose, California, her parents had to pay $12,000 for thirty 30-minute therapy sessions. Other proven therapies, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), meanwhile, cost approximately $120 per hour, or $1,800 for the equivalent time of MeRT. Insurance doesn’t cover MeRT, as MeRT therapy is considered “off-label.” In the case of MeRT, the use of the rTMS device is FDA approved, but the use of it for MeRT therapy for Autism isn’t. Should insurance cover it? In my opinion, yes, as the coverage of MeRT therapy by insurance will open up more possible options for individuals with Autism, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Although scientists and doctors found few side effects of MeRT, a meta-analysis of eleven studies showed a low prevalence of those side effects.
Headaches: PR: 10%, 95% CI: 3-19%
Facial Discomfort: PR: 15%, 95% CI: 4-29%
Irritability: PR: 21%, 95% CI: 8-37%
In addition, there have been cases where MeRT was not beneficial for individuals with Autism. For example, in a story by the Los Angeles Times in 2024, Thomas Vancott reported that despite the expensive $9,000 MeRT cost, his son Jake showed no improvements after treatment. According to Vancott, Jake had trouble putting together a sentence before the therapy, and after was no different.
Overall, although there have been a few unsuccessful cases of MeRT, the majority of experiences are promising. This blog has weighed the pros and cons, but it's clear that more research is needed. MeRT is a therapy that should be further researched and utilized for ASD treatment, keeping us engaged in the ongoing developments in this field.
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