One hundred and one children between the ages of 5 and 17 years who demonstrated significantly disordered behaviors including extreme temper tantrums, aggression and/or self-injurious behavior were admitted to the network study. Forty-nine children in the group were given an atypical antipsychotic drug, risperidone and fifty-two children were given a placebo.

During the eight-week treatment period, behavioral rating scales were measured in both groups. The results revealed the children in the risperidone group improved significantly more than those in the placebo group. Side effects in the risperidone group included increased appetite, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness and drooling. Mild neurologic signs were more common in the risperidone group. The positive response to risperidone was maintained in 2/3 of the children for six months. No inference was cited regarding serious adverse side effects attributed to risperidone although the drug is said to be responsible for serious neurologic conditions in rare instances.

Editors Note: Our anecdotal experience with the use of risperidone in autistic children with the behaviors cited above has been favorable as well. Most patients respond fairly quickly to the appropriate dosage that is usually well tolerated. Weight gain is a very real problem. The effect on sleep is favorable in most instances. Our experience related to improvement in self-injurious behavior was less often observed. One would like to see each phenomenon experienced by autistic children to be studied individually. Monitoring for metabolic effects should be done on a timely basis.

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