Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America
Strategies for pharmacologic treatment of high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome
Section snippets
Core features and the mechanics of pharmacologic treatment
It is essential for anyone who takes responsibility for pharmacologic treatment to understand the phenomenology and course of HFA/AS (discussed elsewhere in this issue). The specific features of HFA/AS exhibited by a patient influence the treatment one chooses and how the treatment is assisted for that patient (and family). The nature of HFA/AS introduces specific and sizable challenges, particularly when using pharmacologic treatments. Building a relationship and gaining the patient's trust
Treatment strategies
In response to these challenges, there are strategies that clinicians can adopt that increase their chance of success. A prominent characteristic of the care of people with HFA/AS is the need for clinicians to integrate behavioral and pharmacologic treatments [21]. Thus, treatment strategies must embrace nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions. The strategies shared by both interventions are genuinely complementary. Behavioral and pharmacologic care must establish realistic
Establishing treatment priorities
The quantity, scale, and range of difficulties experienced by HFA/AS individuals can be perplexing. Everyone involved, the patient, family, and clinician, can be swept up in this complexity. The first challenge is to create the hierarchy of symptoms and the problems they create. Often, difficulties fall into a cluster of symptoms. The primary task of the clinician is to determine which symptoms should be targeted first. Box 1 suggests the questions and order of consideration when approaching
Characterizing symptoms
Behavioral and pharmacologic treatments of HFA/AS share a basic principle—a detailed characterization of the specific symptoms is needed to select the proper intervention. In part this is an outgrowth of the integration of behavioral and pharmacologic approaches. However, even if the integration of behavioral supports and biologic interventions were not necessary, these symptom details would be needed. A careful analysis of symptoms is important because the choice of interventions is influenced
Deciding on modality priorities
The integration of behavioral and pharmacologic treatment can place clinicians in the predicament of deciding whether to pursue behavioral or pharmacologic treatment. There are patient and symptom characteristics that should enter the equation. Patients who work hard with a behavioral support system are obviously ones who should be treated vigorously in this manner. Other patients resist behavioral work or have circumstances that do not lend themselves to behavioral treatments. For example, it
Six symptom clusters
For simplicity, six clusters of symptoms are discussed. Throughout this discussion the emphasis has been on specific symptoms and this is an important feature to emphasize. If a patient repetitively seeks elastic objects to stretch and chew, then that symptom is the one to be targeted; for this discussion it would fall into repetitive behaviors and inflexibility. The monitoring of that symptom, however, means that the clinician and others are all tracking perseverative behavior with elastic—not
Summary
The treatment of complex, polymorphous disorders like HFA/AS always brings a particular challenge to pharmacotherapy. Additionally, the specific characteristics presented by HFA/AS introduce unique complications to patient care and place unusual demands on a clinician's skill and experience. To provide safe and effective treatment, the clinician must understand the core features of the disorder and the manifestations of the condition in his or her patient. Furthermore, a thorough understanding
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