NEWS: Behavior Therapy Effectively Complements Medication for Treatment of Behavior Problems in PDDs

For those interested in the use of medications, behavior therapy, the combination of both in treating serious behaviors in pervasive developmental disorders, and use of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) this blog post by Michelle Diament of Disability Scoop will be of interest. It describes that the most effective results for treatment of problem behaviors in the study group of 4-13 year-olds with autism was a combination of parent training in use of behavioral therapy and medication vs. medication alone, with the improvements derived from parent training continued to increase over time. The research article itself will be something you will want to read and is posted below; at the current time the research article is available in free open access from the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry's December issue.


I found this statement in the Disability Scoop blogpost made by Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to be of particular interest,

“Medication alone has been shown to help with some symptoms of autism, but its potential is limited...This study shows promise of a more effective treatment protocol that could improve life for children with autism and their families."

ABA International members Eric Butter, Ph.D. and James A. Mulick, Ph.D. are two of the team of researchers who authored the research article.

Behavior Therapy Plus Medication Most Successful For Kids With Autism
By Michelle Diament
November 23, 2009
Disability Scoop 11/23/09

"Children with autism experienced fewer behaviors and needed less medication when their parents used behavior therapy in addition to medication, new research shows."

Aman, M.G., McDougle, C.J.,Scahill, L., Handen ,B., Arnold, L. E., et. al.(2009). Medication and parent training in children with pervasive developmental disorders and serious behavior problems: Results from a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,48(12),1143-1154.
doi: 10.1097/CHI. 0b013e3181bfd669

-------------------------
Related:
NIMH Press Release
November 20, 2009
Parent Training Complements Medication for Treating Behavioral Problems in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

--------
Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
-----------
Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,