The only medications approved by the FDA for children with autism are Abilify and Risperdal. Both are antipsychotic medications that can help with irritability and aggression. Medication can also be helpful for kids who also have another diagnosis.
Risperidone (Risperdal) and Aripiprazole (Abilify) are the only drugs approved by the FDA for children with autism spectrum disorder. Risperidone can be prescribed for children between 5 and 16 years old to help with irritability and aggression. Aripiprazole can be prescribed for children between 6 and 17 years old.
There is no medication to treat sensory processing issues. But there are therapies as well as practical changes you can make at home and at school to help your child feel better and do better. You'll want to rule out other causes for your child's symptoms.
Nonetheless, medicines such as risperidone and aripiprazole can be beneficial in ways that can ease these core symptoms, because relieving irritability often improves sociability while reducing tantrums, aggressive outbursts and self-injurious behaviors.
The SSRIs most commonly prescribed to autistic people are fluoxetine and sertraline. Sertraline is often the top choice because its side effects are milder than those of other SSRIs and because it has fewer interactions with other drugs.
The anxiety drug diazepam, commonly marketed as Valium, reverses deficits in sensory integration in a mouse model of autism, according to research presented Sunday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.
Mood stabilizing autism medication
Lithium, Lamictal, Depakene, Depakote, Tegretol, Topamax, Trileptal, and Keppra are options to explore with your child's pediatrician.
Provide a calming place with fidget toys, pillows, bean bag and a soft blanket. This can be as simple as a corner in a room or even a small area rug with calming items behind a teacher's desk. Make sure to practice going there so the child will identify it as a safe place.
Some common things that might help include: Leaving a space or environment, so they can try and recuperate away from the trigger. Stimming; try not to interrupt any non-harmful stims. Using noise-cancelling headphones to vastly reduce external sound, which can help to stop sensory overload.
Two types of medications are typically used to treat sensory overstimulation: gabapentin and/or benzodiazepines, particularly clonazepam. My doctor says that first generation antihistamines (the ones that make you drowsy) can also be helpful.
Coping Strategies
Items you may wish to include: favourite books, noise-cancelling headphones, sensory toys, a beanbag chair and/or weighted blanket. The most important factor to note here is that the chill-out zone remains a refuge, not a place of punishment. Order and consistency are soothing.
"Methylphenidate enhances noradrenergic transmission and suppresses mid- and long-latency sensory responses in the primary somatosensory cortex of awake rats," by Candice Drouin, Laboratory of Neuromodulation and Behavior, Dept.
Too much information. Sometimes an autistic person may behave in a way that you wouldn't immediately link to sensory differences. A person who finds it difficult to process everyday sensory information can experience sensory overload, or information overload.
Sensory Desensitization
Sounds may be introduced using various instruments like drums, triangles, and blowing toys. Objects may be placed in a box and covered. Looking at the toys and describing what they are used for, will enhance their visual skills.
Stimulants like Ritalin and Concerta are prescribed to help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They can also reduce hyperactive behaviour in some, but not all, autistic children. This might allow children to concentrate on tasks for longer and think more before they act.
As lithium levels increased, so did the risk of an autism diagnosis, the researchers reported. Compared to the lowest quartile of recorded lithium levels – in other words, those in the 25th percentile – lithium levels in the second and third quartiles were associated with a 24-26% higher risk of autism.
Stimulants are medicines that temporarily increase mental or physical function or both. Some stimulants commonly prescribed for autistic people are dexamphetamine and methylphenidate.
In these circumstances, lorazepam may be a suitable option. Midazolam is a commonly used premed, although some children with ASD may occasionally become paradoxically dysphoric rather than sedated. For children with challenging behaviour, ketamine or a combination of ketamine and midazolam is often successful.
Sensory processing disorder can make it difficult for people to function if they become overwhelmed by senses including touch or hearing. The condition is known to be closely related to autism, but research shows that sensory overload and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also go hand in hand.
There are the four patterns of sensory processing: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitive and sensation avoiding.
Over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to sensory stimuli is one of the criteria for an autism diagnosis. However, sensory challenges are not a part of the diagnosis of ADHD. Nonetheless, children with ADHD do experience sensory differences.
“In the majority of people, sensory issues resolve on their own, or become significantly milder and less interfering as a child grows,” explains Wendy Nash, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Applying deep pressure to the body with hugs, a weighted blanket or weighted stuffed animal, or squishes with a pillow or beanbag chair provides full-body calming sensory input for kids who might be overwhelmed or anxious at school.