Abstract
Eleven residents receiving long-term thioridazine treatment were studied while receiving their previous dose, standardized low and high doses (1.25 and 2.50 mg/kg per day), and placebo conditions. For theoretical reasons, subjects were also classified by degree of stereotypic behavior on the Fairview Problem Behavior Checklist (Barron & Sandman, 1983). Ratings of hyperactivity and self-injury were significantly lower during the higher as compared with the lower dose condition. Subjects classified as in the high-stereotypy group had significantly and substantially higher levels of maladaptive behavior on several other clinical variables. When all four drug conditions were compared, no significant drug effects were detected. However, high-stereotypy subjects responded significantly better to the drug than low-stereotypy subjects on ratings of Lethargy/Social Withdrawal and Hyperactivity on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (Aman, Singh, Stewart, & Field, 1985a). The findings were related to previous dosage research and the literature on stereotypic behavior.
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The authors thank Dr. C. Vaithianathan for medical supervision of subjects in this study, Carolyn Teehan for supervision of the direct observations, Tony Gerrard (Auckland Hospital Pharmacy) for preparation of the medication, Sarah Turbott for assistance with the statistical analyses, and Marsha Aman for typing the manuscript. We thank the following staff members for carrying out direct observations: Sherri Briggs, Kathryn Buckman, Sue Drower, Hilary Harris, Sheryl Oliver, Glenda Rathe, and Raewyn Stevens. This study was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of New Zealand to Dr. M. G. Aman.
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Aman, M.G., White, A.J. Thioridazine dose effects with reference to stereotypic behavior in mentally retarded residents. J Autism Dev Disord 18, 355–366 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212192
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212192