Pharmacotherapy in Autism: An Overview

  • Magda Campbell
Chapter

Abstract

“The promotion of maturation and development constitutes the essence of treatment of young, including psychotic children. Ideally, an effective drug should enhance this process” (Campbell, 1975, p. 399). It has been stated repeatedly, that the role of psychoactive agents in the treatment of autistic children is two-fold: to decrease behavioral symptoms and to promote development (Campbell, 1975). Pharmacotherapy should never be viewed as a sole treatment in autism; it is viewed only as part, however, sometimes an important part, of a comprehensive treatment program. Though there is some information about the type of symptoms which may respond to phannacotherapy (Perry et al., 1989a) clinical experience shows that the individual child with those very target symptoms may not respond to drug.

Keywords

Tardive Dyskinesia Adolescent Psychiatry Autistic Child Behavioral Symptom Infantile Autism 
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© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1989

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  • Magda Campbell

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