Evidence is not sufficient to support the use of medical interventions in adolescents and young adults with autism, according to a study.
Despite studies that show many adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders are prescribed medications, Vanderbilt University researchers said, almost no evidence is available to show whether these medications are helpful in this population.
"We need more research to be able to understand how to treat core symptoms of autism in this population, as well as common associated symptoms such as anxiety, compulsive behaviors and agitation," Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology and an investigator with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, said in a news release.
"Individuals, families and clinicians currently have to make decisions together, often in a state of desperation, without clear guidance on what might make things better and what might make things worse, and too often, people with autism spectrum disorders end up on one or more medications without a clear sense of whether the medicine is helping."
The researchers systematically screened more than 4,500 studies and found 32 studies published from January 1980 to December 2011 on therapies for people ages 13 to 30 with autism spectrum disorders. They focused on the outcomes, including harms and adverse effects, of medical, behavioral, educational and vocational interventions.
Key findings
Some evidence revealed that treatments could improve social skills and educational outcomes such as vocabulary or reading, but those studies generally were small and had limited follow-up.
Limited evidence supported the use of medical interventions in adolescents and young adults with autism. The most consistent findings were identified for the effects of antipsychotic medications on reducing problem behaviors that tend to occur with autism, such as irritability and aggression. Harms associated with medications included sedation and weight gain.
Only five articles tested vocational interventions. Each study suggested certain vocational interventions may be effective for certain individuals, but each had significant flaws that limited the researchers’ confidence in their conclusions.
Although the prevalence of autism is on the rise, much remains to be discovered when it comes to interventions for this population, the researchers concluded.
As recently as the 1970s, autism was believed to affect just one in 2,000 children, but newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder. Boys with autism outnumber girls five to one, with estimates that one in 54 boys in the United States has autism.
The study appeared Sept. 24 on the website of Pediatrics. A PDF of the study is available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/09/19/peds.2012-0683.abstract.
Despite studies that show many adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders are prescribed medications, Vanderbilt University researchers said, almost no evidence is available to show whether these medications are helpful in this population.
"We need more research to be able to understand how to treat core symptoms of autism in this population, as well as common associated symptoms such as anxiety, compulsive behaviors and agitation," Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology and an investigator with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, said in a news release.
"Individuals, families and clinicians currently have to make decisions together, often in a state of desperation, without clear guidance on what might make things better and what might make things worse, and too often, people with autism spectrum disorders end up on one or more medications without a clear sense of whether the medicine is helping."
The researchers systematically screened more than 4,500 studies and found 32 studies published from January 1980 to December 2011 on therapies for people ages 13 to 30 with autism spectrum disorders. They focused on the outcomes, including harms and adverse effects, of medical, behavioral, educational and vocational interventions.
Key findings
Some evidence revealed that treatments could improve social skills and educational outcomes such as vocabulary or reading, but those studies generally were small and had limited follow-up.
Limited evidence supported the use of medical interventions in adolescents and young adults with autism. The most consistent findings were identified for the effects of antipsychotic medications on reducing problem behaviors that tend to occur with autism, such as irritability and aggression. Harms associated with medications included sedation and weight gain.
Only five articles tested vocational interventions. Each study suggested certain vocational interventions may be effective for certain individuals, but each had significant flaws that limited the researchers’ confidence in their conclusions.
Although the prevalence of autism is on the rise, much remains to be discovered when it comes to interventions for this population, the researchers concluded.
As recently as the 1970s, autism was believed to affect just one in 2,000 children, but newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder. Boys with autism outnumber girls five to one, with estimates that one in 54 boys in the United States has autism.
The study appeared Sept. 24 on the website of Pediatrics. A PDF of the study is available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/09/19/peds.2012-0683.abstract.
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