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document
Naltrexone in autistic children : behavioral symptoms and attentional learning . OBJECTIVE To assess critically the short-term efficacy and safety of naltrexone in autistic children and its effects on discrimination learning in the laboratory . METHOD A parallel group design was employed . After a 2-week placebo baseline period , children were randomly assigned either to naltrexone or to placebo for a period of 3 weeks followed by a one-week posttreatment placebo period . Multiple raters and rating scales were employed in a variety of conditions . Forty-one children , all inpatients , ages 2.9 to 7.8 years , completed the study . Naltrexone reduced hyperactivity and had no effect on discrimination learning in the laboratory . There was a suggestion that it had a beneficial effect on decreasing self-injurious behavior . Untoward effects were mild and transient . CONCLUSION In the present study , naltrexone significantly reduced only hyperactivity , and no serious untoward effects were observed . The effectiveness of naltrexone in the treatment of autism and self-injurious behavior requires additional assessment in a sample of children with moderate to severe self-injurious behavior .
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Intervention_Pharmacological
Naltrexone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
naltrexone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
naltrexone
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Intervention_Control
placebo
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Intervention_Pharmacological
Naltrexone
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Intervention_Pharmacological
naltrexone
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Outcome_Other
efficacy and safety
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Outcome_Adverse-effects
hyperactivity
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Outcome_Mental
discrimination learning
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Outcome_Mental
self-injurious behavior
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Outcome_Adverse-effects
Untoward effects
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Outcome_Physical
hyperactivity
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Outcome_Adverse-effects
serious untoward effects
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Participant_Condition
autistic
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Condition
autistic
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Sample-size
Forty-one
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Condition
inpatients
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Participant_Age
2.9 to 7.8 years
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Participant_Condition
hyperactivity
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Participant_Condition
moderate to severe self-injurious behavior