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Self injurious behavior in autism: clinical aspects and treatment with risperidone

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Summary.

Self injurious behavior (SIB) is frequent in autistic spectrum disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the phenomenology of SIB in a group of children with autistic disorder, and to test whether treatment with risperidone might reduce it. A group of eleven children diagnosed with autistic disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria (mean age 8.7±2.2 ys) and with severe SIB were recruited for an open study of six months of treatment with risperidone. The Yale-Paris Self-Injurious Behavior Scale was used to delineate the clinical characteristics and as an outcome measure. Head-hitting and hand biting were the most frequent forms of self aggression observed. Nine children presented a mild improvement in SIB and 2 did not show any variation. A decrease in Yale-Paris Self Injurious Behavior Scale score (from M 15.1±1.4 to 13.3±1.4) was noted mainly due to the reduction of frequency. Side effects of risperidone were not severe.

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  1. Division of Child Neuropsychiatry, University General Hospital of Siena, Italy

    R. Canitano

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Canitano, R. Self injurious behavior in autism: clinical aspects and treatment with risperidone. J Neural Transm 113, 425–431 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-005-0337-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-005-0337-x

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