Meds for Autism Not Well Understood: Study THURSDAY Feb. 23,
2012 -- Children with autism may benefit from medications to
treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) and other related disorders, but clearer guidelines are
needed, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data from more
than 1,000 U.S. teens enrolled in special education programs, to
assess the use of psychiatric medications in those with autism,
ADHD and both conditions. Patients with both autism and ADHD had
the highest rates of medicine use (about 58 percent), followed
by those with ADHD only (around 49 percent) and those with
autism only (about 34 percent), according to study author Paul
Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University in St.
Louis, and colleagues. Black teenagers with autism only or with
autism and ADHD were less likely to receive medications than
whites. "Observations from the present study reinforce the
complexity of pharmacologic treatment of challenging behavior in
kids with [autism spec