Strategies for pharmacologic treatment of high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome

Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…In other cases, clinicians opt to target specific interfering maladaptive behaviors or symptom clusters in the absence of a clear comorbid psychiatric diagnosis (a target-symptom approach). [146][147][148][149][150][151] Recent surveys indicate that approximately 45% of children and adolescents [152][153][154] and up to 75% of adults 8,155 with ASDs are treated with psychotropic medication. Greater age, lower adaptive skills and social competence, and higher levels of challenging behavior are associated with the likelihood of medication use.…”

“…179 Principles to guide the approach to psychopharmacologic management of ASDs in clinical practice have been proposed by several authors in recent years, and an approach is outlined in Table 2. [148][149][150][151] When medications are used, potential benefits and adverse effects should be explained, informed consent should be obtained, baseline data regarding behaviors and somatic complaints should be collected, and potential strategies for dealing with treatment failure or partial response should be reviewed. It is important to have some quantifiable means of assessing the efficacy of the medication and to obtain input from a variety of sources, such as parents, teachers, therapists, and aides.…”

Childhood Inattention and Hyperactivity Symptoms Self-Reported by Adults with Asperger Syndrome

“…However, some studies indicate that while children with Asperger syndrome are often initially referred for assessment due to attentional concerns, it often appears that instead of conventional ADHD problems -generalized distractibility and impulsivitythese situations involve even more a selective attention defi cit, as well as internal distractions and a defective in- hibition of irrelevant responses [16,17] . Moreover, hyperactivity and inattention in childhood are associated with a variety of other disorders besides ADHD and pervasive developmental disorder, including developmental receptive language disorders, anxiety and depression [18] . This diagnostic complexity is also refl ected in the large variety of medicines used to treat defective attention and hyperactivity in children with pervasive developmental disorders, including dopamine blocking agents, stimulants, alpha-adrenergic agonists and naltrexone [18] .…”

“…Moreover, hyperactivity and inattention in childhood are associated with a variety of other disorders besides ADHD and pervasive developmental disorder, including developmental receptive language disorders, anxiety and depression [18] . This diagnostic complexity is also refl ected in the large variety of medicines used to treat defective attention and hyperactivity in children with pervasive developmental disorders, including dopamine blocking agents, stimulants, alpha-adrenergic agonists and naltrexone [18] . It has also been proposed that Asperger syndrome and ADHD are truly associated as two comorbid disorders [4,19] , at least in high-functioning children.…”

Physician collaboration involving students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Some of the more common challenging behaviors or psychiatric disorders that may be targeted with medication in individuals with ASDs include aggression, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and inattention, and inflexibility and behavioral rigidity, as well as stereotypes and perseveration (Towbin, 2003). A family history of a specific psychiatric disorder or medication response may also guide selection of a particular medication and improve the effectiveness of the medication treatment (Expert Consensus Panels for Mental Retardation, 2000).…”