Research: A Prospective Open Trial of Guanfacine in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

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Authored by Scahill, L., Aman MG, McDougle CJ, McCracken JT, Tierney E., Dziura J., Arnold LE, Posey D., Young C., Shah B., et al. in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, Volume 16, Issue 5, p. 589-598, (2006).

Article summary (posted Jan 18, 2007):

Guanfacine may help to treat hyperactivity in children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD).

This article describes a prospective study. This means that the children were entered into the study and then given guanfacine in order to treat hyperactivity. The study found that children had 39% less hyperactivity and impulsive behavior when they were given the drug. This improvement was seen by parents and by teachers. Guanfacine also seemed to help with irritability, explosive behavior, repetitive movements (stereotypies), and social interaction. The authors suggest that guanfacine be used in children who do not respond to the drug methylphenidate.

Links:

You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
Concerta (methylphenidate hydrochloride), drug, hyperactivity, joint attention, parent, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), prospective study, Ritalin - Methylin (methylphenidate hydrochloride), Tenex - Intuniv (guanfacine)
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