Effects of risperidone on core symptoms of autistic disorder based on childhood autism rating scale: an open label study.
BACKGROUND
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of risperidone in patients afflicted by autistic disorder especially with regards to its three core symptoms, including "relating to others", "communication skills", and "stereotyped behaviors" based on Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).


METHODS
An 8-week open-label study of risperidone for treatment of autistic disorder in children 4-17 years old was designed. Risperidone dose titration was as follow: 0.02 mg/kg/day at the first week, 0.04 mg/kg/day at the second week, and 0.06 mg/kg/day at the third week and thereafter. The outcome measures were scores obtained by CARS, Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale.


RESULTS
Fifteen patients completed this study. After 8 weeks, CARS total score decreased significantly, (P=0.001). At the end of the study, social interactions and verbal communication skills of the patients were significantly improved (P<0.001, P=0.03, respectively). However, stereotypic behaviors did not show any significant change in this study. Increase in appetite and somnolence were the most reported side effects.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that risperidone may be an effective treatment for the management of core symptoms of autistic disorder.
Research Center for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran ; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Padideh
P
Ghaeli
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Naemeh
N
Nikvarz
Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Javad
J
Alaghband-Rad
University of Applied Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Abbas
A
Alimadadi
Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi
M
Tehrani-Doost
Autistic disorder; childhood autism rating scale; core symptoms; risperidone