Several months of treatment with risperidone may improve intelligence of school-age children with autism.

This study was designed to see if risperidone improves intelligence (cognitive performance) in children (aged 5-17) with autism. The authors found that risperidone does improve intelligence and this was especially obvious when children were asked to use their active (working) memory. The children taking risperidone were better able to do tasks that required focus as well as tasks that required moving back and forth between two things. While some of the children did get more tired when treated with risperidone, these same children still did better on tasks. They authors suggest that risperidone may also improve social skills, communication, and school work.