A study by the University of Cambridge has found that non-invasive brain stimulation or neuromodulation can improve communication and social skills for children with autism spectrum disorder and with an intellectual disability. The intervention involved using brief, targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate specific parts of the brain. The technique involves no surgery, anaesthetic, and no drugs. Theta-burst stimulation, which delivers pulses in rapid clusters, was used to treat depression and researchers have been exploring whether it might also help with social and communication difficulties. The study, published in the BMJ, found that the improvements seen after five days were still significant a month after the treatment. It is unclear how long the benefits will last beyond a month or how the approach would work when moved from a research setting into an ordinary clinic.