If you dig into the history of American psychiatry, you’ll eventually hit a wall of stories that feel more like sci-fi horror than medical science. At the center of one of the most jarring chapters is Dr. Lauretta Bender. She wasn't some back-alley quack; she was a heavyweight in the field, the creator of the Bender-Gestalt Test that psychologists still use today. But in the early 1960s, she started a series of experiments that most people find hard to believe.
She gave LSD to children. Some as young as five.
Honestly, the "why" behind it is just as wild as the "what." Back then, the medical world didn't really have a handle on autism. They often lumped it in with "childhood schizophrenia." Dr. Lauretta Bender’s LSD trials were born out of a desperate, albeit controversial, attempt to "nudge" the developing brains of these children into a more normal state.
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The Creedmoor Experiments: 100 Micrograms a Day
The setting was the Children’s Unit at Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens, New York. Starting around 1961, Bender began administering LSD-25 to children she diagnosed with "autistic schizophrenia." We aren't talking about a one-time spiritual journey. In many cases, these kids were given 100 micrograms of LSD every single day for weeks, months, or—in extreme instances—up to three years.
Think about that for a second.
Most recreational users today consider 100 micrograms a full dose. To give that to a six-year-old daily is a pharmacological marathon that modern ethics boards would shut down in a heartbeat.
Bender wasn't acting in a vacuum, though. The early 60s were the Wild West of psychedelic research. Sandoz Pharmaceuticals was practically handing out LSD to any researcher with a pulse and a permit. Bender’s logic was that these children were "trapped" in a state of maturational lag. She believed LSD could act as a central nervous system stimulant to break through their "autistic defense."
What the Research Actually Claimed
You might expect the notes from these sessions to be pure chaos. Surprisingly, Bender and her colleagues, like Dr. D.V. Siva Sankar, reported what they called "favorable responses." In her 1962 and 1963 papers, Bender described the children as becoming:
- More "affectionate" and responsive to adults.
- Better at "habit patterning" (eating and sleeping).
- Less prone to "stereotyped whirling" (repetitive movements).
- Higher on the Vineland Maturity Scale.
One specific case often cited involves a five-year-old girl named Mary. After being given the drug, she reportedly sat staring at a wall and told a physician, "God isn't coming back today. He's too busy."
While Bender claimed the kids were "happier" and more "alert," she had to admit one major failure: none of the non-verbal children actually started talking. The "imprisoned minds" she hoped to free stayed largely silent.
The Darker Side: Shock Therapy and Ethics
It’s impossible to talk about Dr. Lauretta Bender LSD studies without mentioning her earlier work. Before she pivoted to psychedelics, she was a massive proponent of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). She reportedly administered shock treatments to over 500 children at Bellevue and Creedmoor.
Some colleagues, like Dr. Leon Eisenberg, were horrified. He later noted that many of these children arrived at other facilities "perhaps worse off than before the treatment." There are even darker accounts of children becoming aggressive or catatonic following her interventions.
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The ethical framework—or lack thereof—is the part that sticks in the throat. These were often "abandoned" children or kids from state wards. Informed consent, as we know it today, was basically non-existent. Parents were often told these treatments were the "only hope" for their children.
Why Does This Matter in 2026?
You’d think we would have buried this history, but it’s actually resurfacing. Why? Because we are currently in a "Psychedelic Renaissance." Researchers are again looking at psilocybin and LSD for everything from depression to social anxiety in autistic adults.
But Bender’s work serves as a massive, flashing red light. It highlights the "God complex" that can happen when researchers have total control over vulnerable populations. Her studies lacked "double-blind" controls. She was the one giving the drug and the one recording the "success." That is a recipe for massive observer bias.
Basically, she saw what she wanted to see.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious
If you're following the modern resurgence of psychedelic medicine, here's how to look at the Bender legacy:
- Demand Data, Not Narratives: Bender’s "success" was mostly anecdotal. Modern trials must be held to the standard of placebo-controlled, peer-reviewed data.
- Contextualize Neurodiversity: We no longer see autism as a "lag" that needs to be "cured" with a chemical hammer. Modern research focuses on quality of life, not making children "fit" a neurotypical mold.
- Audit the Ethics: Always look at who is being studied. Vulnerable populations—children, the incarcerated, or those in state care—require the highest levels of protection and advocacy.
The story of Dr. Lauretta Bender and LSD isn't just a footnote in a textbook. It's a reminder of what happens when scientific ambition outpaces human empathy. While she was a pioneer in many ways, her legacy is a complicated mix of genuine curiosity and what many now consider a tragedy of medical overreach.
Next Steps for Deep Research:
You should look into the Bender-Gestalt II to see how her legitimate clinical tools evolved, or read the 1962 article in Recent Advances in Biological Psychiatry to see her original, unfiltered notes on the LSD trials. It’s a sobering look at a different era of medicine.