Autism and Sleep: Basics for the Clinician

the QTc. The purpose of this study was to collect pilot data on the efficacy and safety of ziprasidone in adolescents with autism, focusing on safety issues of weight gain and QTc. Methods: Twelve adolescents with autism (mean age 14.5 +/1.8 years) were treated in a 6-week open pilot study. Ziprasidone dosage ranged from 20 to 160 mg/day (mean, 98.3 +/40.4 mg/day). The primary efficacy measure was the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement item (CGI-I); other efficacy measures included the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Children’s Psychiatric Rating Scale. Results: Based on the CGI-I, 9 of 12 (75%) patients were treatment responders. Ziprasidone was weight neutral, and the QTc increased by a mean of 14.7 msec. Two subjects had acute dystonic reactions. Cholesterol decreased and prolactin remained the same.