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Stimulant drug effects in developmental disorders and hyperactivity — Toward a resolution of disparate findings

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Abstract

An attempt is made to integrate data from a variety of clinical populations and from the animal literature. Evidence is presented suggesting that mentally retarded and autistic children generally show a poor response to stimulant medication, whereas hyperactive and normal children respond beneficially. Cognitive research in mentally retarded and autistic children is reviewed, and it is suggested that both diagnostic groups suffer from attentional difficulties, the mechanisms of which may be very similar. The literature on stimulant-induced stereotypy in animals is discussed, with emphasis on the clinical implications for autism and mental retardation. An attentional model is proposed to account for type of therapeutic response to stimulant medication. This is followed by a possible method for testing the model and by specific predictions relating to subject characteristics and response.

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  1. School of Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand

    Michael G. Aman

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  1. Michael G. Aman
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This research was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of New Zealand to Professor J. S. Werry. The author would like to thank the following for their helpful comments on this paper: Professor J. S. Werry, Dr. R. Kydd, S. Eastgate, M. A., Department of Psychiatry, and Dr. K. Wilton, Department of Education (all from the University of Auckland), and Dr. N. Singh, Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury.

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Aman, M.G. Stimulant drug effects in developmental disorders and hyperactivity — Toward a resolution of disparate findings. J Autism Dev Disord 12, 385–398 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01538326

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