title: Psychostimulants for ADHD-like symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: We conducted a comprehensive review of studies assessing the efficacy and tolerability of psychostimulants for ADHD-like symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (encompassing autism disorder, Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified). PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE, Web of Science, ERIC and CINHAL were searched through 3 January 2012. From a pool of 348 potentially relevant references, 12 citations (11 studies) were retained as pertinent. Four of the included studies had a randomized controlled design. Most of the studies assessed methylphenidate immediate release. Despite inter-study heterogeneity, taken together, the results of the selected reports suggest that psychostimulants may be effective for ADHD-like symptoms in autism spectrum disorder individuals. The most common adverse events reported in the included trials were appetite reduction, sleep-onset difficulties, irritability and emotional outbursts. We discuss future directions in the field, including the need for trials assessing more ecological outcomes and combined treatment strategies tailored to the specific individual features.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, NYU Child Study Center, Langone Medical Center, 215 Lexington Avenue, NY 10016, USA. samuele.cortese@gmail.com
authors.forename: Samuele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castelnau
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morcillo
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonnet-Brilhault
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications*; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants