Yes, omega-3 supplements have helped my son stay calmer and more focused for several years now particularly in higher doses and especially when sourced from Krill or another crustacean like mussels. A great tasting fish oil liquid is Barleans Swirl purchased cold and kept refrigerated. The Key Lime flavor is the high potency version. According to Dr. Dan Rossignol, president of MAPS (Medmaps.org) 800 mg of DHA, and 800 mg EPA is recommended. So look at the label. His website is rossignolmedicalcenter.com. Look at the "simplified biomedical" pdf.

I hope this helps.

Our biomed dr. normally recommends Carlson's but he was fine with giving 2 Coromega packets/day since DD likes those.

I took fish oil and flaxseed oil all throughout pregnancy & nursing and my DD was on a lowish dose when she was diagnosed. We dramatically increase the dosage after her diagnosis but it didn't seem to make any difference. I figure it's good for her cardiovascular system if nothing else.

I don't know if there are any rules that apply to everyone. One of the things that makes ASD so frustrating is that a supplement that helps one child will have almost no effect for another child.

We have had good luck with Omega 3 supplements, but also some issues. In low doses, omega seems to be associated with an improvement (in the ability to learn new skills). This is a minor improvement, and might just be our imagination.

On the other hand, some of the supplements that our son prefers have either food dyes or sweeteners, both of which seem to have negative behavioral effects. The effects are hard to relate to the food, but we have seen it more than once.

If you can add fatty acids and omega 3 to your regular diet, it certainly can't hurt. If you have a little one who is breastfeeding, then go ahead and spend the money on a high quality supplement and add it to every meal. You may find that it has an anti inflammatory effect, as well as a calming effect.

The research supporting the regular use of Omega 3 is pretty good. Unlike some other supplements, this is pretty well documented. There are also some well-known risks, such as interactions with certain medicines. A good summary is at:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement...

We supplement with a high quality liquid fish oil (5ml) mixed in small amount of juice. It was a great intervention when we started. For the eczema type dry skin, supplementing biotin, which is a B vitamin, in high doses (1 to 5mg) takes care of that within a week for us.