Research summaries for autism therapy: placebo

definition of placebo: False drug, often consisting of a sugar pill with no active medicine, used for comparison with drugs being tested in a study. Usually the person taking the placebo is not told that they are only taking a sugar pill.
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Guanfacine in Children with Autism and/or Intellectual Disabilities, Summarized Oct 29, 2008

Guanfacine may be a good treatment option for children with autism who also have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Many times, the drugs that are used to treat ADHD do not work as well for children with autism. This study was designed to test whether guanfacine is a good treatment for ADHD in children with autism and/or other developmental disabilities. This study is the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study of guanfacine in children with autism. The study combined the children with autism with the children with other developmental disabilities. Three of the 11 children in the study developed sleepiness at the large target dose of 3 mg/day. Read more...

Efficacy and Safety of Modafinil Film–Coated Tablets in Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Flexible-Dose Study, Summarized Oct 20, 2008

The drug modafinil may be helpful in treating Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Many children with autism may also suffer from ADHD.

This study was designed to see if modafinil would be useful in treating ADHD. All children in this study all had been diagnosed with ADHD. The children who took modafinil had fewer problems with behavior, inattention and hyperactivity than the children who took a placebo. The study had 244 children (163 took modafinil and 81 took a placebo) and lasted only 9 weeks. The authors believed that modafinil might be a good option for treating ADHD. Read more...

A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial of Piracetam Added to Risperidone in Patients with Autistic Disorder, Summarized Jul 23, 2008

Use of the nutritional supplement piracetam with risperidone may be more effective than use of risperidone alone for children with autism.

This study was designed to see if piracetam plus risperidone was more helpful than risperidone alone in treating children with autism. Piracetam is a dietary supplement that is often used to help the brain work better. The children who received piracetam with risperidone did not have an increase in side effects. The study had only 40 children (20 in each group). The authors note that the effects of piracetam in children with autism may provide a clue to brain issues in people with autism. Read more...

A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Controlled Release Melatonin Treatment of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and Impaired Sleep Maintenance in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Summarized May 8, 2008

Treatment with melatonin may help children with autism sleep better.

Children with brain problems are more likely to have sleeping problems. This placebo-controlled study looked to see whether controlled-released melatonin was able to help children with autism sleep better. The children had either delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) or impaired sleep maintenance (ISM). The authors based the dosage of melatonin partly on whether or not the child had DSPS or ISM. They found that 47 of the 50 children in the study (not all autistic) were helped by melatonin therapy. Read more...

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