Cochrane · systematic review · CD011769
Pharmacological intervention for irritability, aggression, and self‐injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Iffland, M, Livingstone, N, Jorgensen, M, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2023 · Cochrane Library
Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning ProblemsAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
15
current version
GRADE rated
11
No studies
4
Included studies
NR
No studies 4 · 26.7%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 5 · 33.3%Low 5 · 33.3%Moderate 1 · 6.7%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Atypical antipsychotics compared to placebo for irritability, aggression, and self‐injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Population: participants (any age) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD who have displayed one or more unwanted or challenging behaviours at baseline assessment
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Irritability Atypical antipsychotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 12 studies · 973 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Aggression Atypical antipsychotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 77 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Self‐injury Atypical antipsychotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 30 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision, indirectness |
Adverse effects (AEs) Atypical antipsychotics vs placebo | RR 4.19 | 11 studies · 974 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Neurohormones compared to placebo for irritability, aggression, and self‐injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Population: participants (any age) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD who have displayed one or more unwanted or challenging behaviours at baseline assessment
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Irritability Neurohormones vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 8 studies · 466 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Aggression Neurohormones vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Self Injury Neurohormones vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse effects Neurohormones vs placebo | RR 0.58 [0.38, 0.89] | 10 studies · 863 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)‐related drugs compared to placebo for irritability, aggression, and self‐injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Population: participants (any age) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD who have displayed one or more unwanted or challenging behaviours at baseline assessment
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Irritability All ADHD‐related medications Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)‐related drugs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 10 studies · 400 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Aggression Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)‐related drugs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Self‐injury Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)‐related drugs vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 16 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, indirectness |
Adverse effects Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)‐related drugs vs placebo | RR 3.42 | 9 studies · 511 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Antidepressants compared to placebo for irritability, aggression, and self‐injury in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Population: participants (any age) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD who have displayed one or more unwanted or challenging behaviours at baseline assessment
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Irritability Antidepressants vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 267 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Aggression Antidepressants vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse effects Antidepressants vs placebo | RR 4.16 | 10 studies · 815 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |