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An Update on Medication Management of Behavioral Disorders in Autism

  • Child and Adolescent Disorders (TD Benton, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder is often comorbid with behavioral disturbances such as irritability, aggression and hyperactivity. Throughout the mid 2000s, several large-scale controlled clinical trials were published leading to the approval of two medications (aripiprazole and risperidone) for treatment of irritability in this condition. This review serves as an update regarding new research findings regarding psychopharmacology for children and adolescents with ASD. In summary, the past five years have yielded no further approved medications with ASD as a primary indication. Important new research results include 1) long-term safety and efficacy data (52 week) regarding treatment with aripiprazole for irritability, 2) consensus regarding potential harm from SSRIs for treatment of repetitive behaviors in children/ adolescents with ASD, 3) a randomized controlled trial showing modest benefits from atomoxetine on hyperactivity, 4) many novel agents currently under investigation.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this review was provided by the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders Network (POND), supported by the Ontario Brain Institute.

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Conflict of Interest

Danielle A. Baribeau declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Evdokia Anagnostou has consulted to Seaside Therapeutics and Novartis. She has received grant funding from Sanofi Canada and royalties from American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc..

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Danielle A. Baribeau

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Evdokia Anagnostou

  3. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8

    Evdokia Anagnostou

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  1. Danielle A. Baribeau
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  2. Evdokia Anagnostou
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Correspondence to Evdokia Anagnostou.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Child and Adolescent Disorders

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Baribeau, D.A., Anagnostou, E. An Update on Medication Management of Behavioral Disorders in Autism. Curr Psychiatry Rep 16, 437 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0437-0

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