Articles to be read with care:

       I have emphasized before that Autism has nothing to do with being "cold". Now to be fair I don't think this article is implying that, but people who don't read carefully may easily misunderstand it: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/love-drug-oxytocin-cuddle-chemical-scientists-makes-mothers/story?id=15330910
       Oxytocin is almost like a "cuteness" hormone. Even some of the toughest people will show a softer side in the presence of a baby or a puppy. Perhaps this hormone is one of the things that help parents (both human and non-human) persevere in caring for their young and to be more tolerant of mischief (and other stresses of parenting). my concern here is that this hormone is referred to as a love drug and then the article suggests that this could be relevant in the treatment of Autism. I guess anything is possible so I'm not refuting the article. (I'm not a scientist anyway.) I just don't want people to think that this implies the common misconception that Autistic people are unfeeling or devoid of empathy. (See my post from earlier this week on Cognitive vs. Affective Empathy.) Also, if you read the above article carefully there is also a flip side to Oxytocin or if one wants to say, a "dark side".
       Remember too when reading about such studies and discoveries, these don't necessarily mean that they will be put into practical use on the general public anytime soon. I know right now anything involving the word "hormones" is hot button right now with all the panic over milk and meat. I don't want people to jump to conclusions thinking that Autistic children are going to be given hormones starting tomorrow. I also like to emphasize the difference between a "cure" and a "treatment", people use these words interchangeably and it causes a lot of misunderstandings. It is good however to keep an eye on the research pipeline.
       Now here's a different article on the same thing but not written as carefully- at least not the first paragraph: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2085266/Love-hormone-makes-mothers-kinder-help-treat-autism.html Autism is not a psychiatric disorder. I'm not a "chip-on-the-shoulder" type who has knee jerk reactions to everything about Autism that is not "politically correct". Maybe the author just wasn't thinking and I know I've misspoken many a time, but I do like to clarify any potential misunderstandings whenever I can. I noticed the article comes from the UK so it is possible the standards of classifying things are different than here.