A widely used ADHD drug has shown to be effective against the hyperactive behaviors exhibited by many autistic children.
by
ADDitude Editors
Methylphenidate (Ritalin), the popular AD/HD drug, is also effective against the hyperactive behavior exhibited by 50 percent to 75 percent of autistic children. That's the implication of a study published in the November 2005 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
A research team headed by Lawrence Scahill, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing and child psychiatry at Yale University, tested the effectiveness of methylphenidate for relieving hyperactivity in 58 children with autism or related disorders. The drug proved effective for many of the children with autism, though not as effective as for children with AD/HD.