swiss medicaXXI century S.A.A 12-year-old boy from Romania with autism spectrum disorder attended a nine-day treatment program at Swiss Medica in 2025. Approximately nine months later, his family and therapists described changes in several areas of daily life, alongside difficulties that continued to need support.
Clinical Case · Patient overview
Before Treatment: The Boy’s Abilities and Main Challenges
The boy was diagnosed with ASD at around three years old. His early development included delays in motor skills and speech, with his first words appearing at approximately four. He had been receiving speech and occupational therapy since the age of two.
Before his visit to Swiss Medica, his abilities and support needs spanned several areas:
- Communication. He could speak in sentences, answer questions and ask for things he needed. He understood much of what was said to him, made eye contact and responded to his name. However, frequent echolalia—repeating words or phrases, sometimes outside an appropriate context—made it difficult to sustain a meaningful back-and-forth conversation.
- Attention and behavior. Hyperactivity, a short attention span, agitation and nervousness were among his main difficulties. Repetitive hand movements were also present.
- School and learning. He attended a mainstream school with an assistant and had developed skills in writing, multiplication and division. Sustaining attention and using language in everyday interactions remained challenging.
- Everyday independence. Fine motor difficulties affected some daily activities, and he needed parental help with certain personal hygiene tasks.
The family’s goals for the program were to support their son’s communication, attention, social interaction and ability to manage everyday activities.
Treatment at Swiss Medica
The boy’s nine-day individualized program combined cell-based treatments with speech and occupational therapy.
Treatment details
| Component | Administration described in the clinical record |
| Allogeneic umbilical cord-derived MSCs | Intravenous administration at approximately 3 million cells/kg, plus 30 million cells intramuscularly |
| Allogeneic placenta-derived MSCs | Intravenous administration at approximately 3 million cells/kg, plus 30 million cells intramuscularly |
| MSC-derived exosomes | Two intravenous infusions and repeated intranasal administration |
| Autologous M2 macrophages | Intravenous administration |
| M2 macrophage secretome | Via inhalation or intranasal administration |
| Supportive therapies | Speech and occupational therapy |
After discharge, the boy was prescribed a five-week home program with M2 macrophage secretome and intranasal MSC-derived exosomes. He also continued occupational therapy twice a week.
Nine Months Later: What Had Changed?
A Wider Variety of Foods
When the boy’s parents described the months following treatment, they highlighted eating as the biggest change.
Previously, he had been unwilling to try unfamiliar foods. At follow-up, they reported that he was accepting a considerably wider variety and had become more willing to try something new.
This represents an important functional change in everyday life, particularly in the context of autism, where behavioral rigidity and restricted acceptance of foods can substantially affect daily routines.
New Words
The boy’s parents noticed that he had started using new words.
He continued to answer questions and ask for things he needed, although longer, reciprocal conversations that would allow him to discuss a particular topic or event with his parents remained difficult.
More Attempts to Connect with Others
At school, he was making more attempts to approach and communicate with other children. These approaches did not always develop into shared interaction, as peers did not always engage with him.
During his follow-up examination at the clinic in 2026, the physician also described greater interaction with others and better awareness of his surroundings. The boy continued to make eye contact, respond to his name, and remain affectionate and non-aggressive.
Better Focus During Therapy
His occupational therapists reported that he was better able to concentrate and complete different tasks.
Attention had been one of the family’s concerns before the program, so this was a relevant change in his ongoing therapy.
Less Pronounced Repetitive Hand Movements
His parents reported that repetitive hand movements occurred somewhat less frequently than before.
The movements were still present during the physician’s examination but were described as less pronounced than previously.
What Still Needed Support?
Alongside these changes, communication remained a central challenge. The boy continued to repeat words outside an appropriate context and could not yet reliably discuss a topic or event with his parents. When he struggled to express what he needed, he could still become frustrated.
Fine motor skills remained an area of difficulty, including eating neatly without spilling food on himself. Ongoing speech, occupational, and autism-focused behavioral therapy continued to be important areas of support.
Overall Outcome
At approximately nine months after treatment, the follow-up findings suggest positive functional development compared with the boy’s pre-treatment status, particularly in eating habits, communication, attention, and social engagement.
Continued occupational, speech, and autism-focused behavioral therapy remains important to support his further development and everyday independence.