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Using Aripiprazole to Benefit People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Critical Appraisal

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Abstract

Objectives

Aripiprazole (Abilify) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating irritability associated with autism in young people and is widely used for that purpose. Our objectives were to summarize the conclusions of other authors who reviewed the effects of aripiprazole in people with autism spectrum disorder, to analyze critically the findings of studies that examined the behavioral effects of aripiprazole in this population, and to draw conclusions concerning what research has revealed and what future research should examine.

Methods

We examined review and research articles revealed by a search of the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases.

Results

Twelve review articles and 14 research articles met our criteria for inclusion. Those articles provided clear evidence that aripiprazole reduces “irritability” as indexed by the Irritability subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and related measures, but the drug’s behavioral effects have not been examined adequately and the variables that modulate its effects are unknown. The drug sometimes produces serious adverse effects.

Conclusion

Aripiprazole can be useful in the short-term management of challenging behavior in young people with autism spectrum disorder, but too little is known about the drug’s behavioral effects to maximize its value. Further research, with better measures of behavior and greater attention to potential modulators of drug action, is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Michigan University, 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Rena VanDerwall, Katarina Rotta, Kristal Ehrhardt & Alan Poling

Authors
  1. Rena VanDerwall
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  2. Katarina Rotta
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  3. Kristal Ehrhardt
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  4. Alan Poling
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Contributions

All authors contributed equally to the planning of this review article and to the initial design and subsequent modifications of the methods used to obtain, analyze, and report results. RV and KR initially selected and analyzed included articles. All authors participated in summarizing findings, determining the conclusions they supported, and selecting points to emphasize in the manuscript. RV, with assistance from AP, wrote the initial draft of the modification, which was subsequently revised by KE and KR. All authors approved the submitted version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Alan Poling.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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VanDerwall, R., Rotta, K., Ehrhardt, K. et al. Using Aripiprazole to Benefit People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Critical Appraisal. Adv Neurodev Disord 5, 1–10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-020-00190-7

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