Conditions: Autistic Disorder
Keywords: Autism
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 18
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study is a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of conducting a year long, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine in pre-school children to enhance developmental processes in core areas impacted by autism.

Detailed description:
Autism, a brain disorder that affects a small percentage of Americans, often results in a lifetime of impaired thinking, feeling, and social functioning. The disorder generally becomes apparent in children by the age of 3. Autism typically affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the external world. Some people with autism can function at a relatively high level, with speech and intelligence intact. Others have serious cognitive impairments and language delays, and some never speak. This study will assess the safety and effectiveness of treating autistic children with fluoxetine to enhance developmental processes in core areas impacted by autism.

Each participant was randomly assigned to treatment with double-blinded placebo or fluoxetine for 12 months. After initial screening and randomization, participants were assessed every two weeks for approximately the first 3 months, or until the dose of medication is stabilized. After this initial period, they were assessed on a monthly basis. Dosing was flexible as determined by the adverse and beneficial responses to treatment although there was a suggested titration schedule.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo, liquid solution flexible dose 0.5 to 5ml every morning (AM) arm 2: Fluoxetine, 20mg/5ml solution, flexible dose 0.5 to 5ml every AM

Interventions: intervention 1: Fluoxetine intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Between 2 mg per day and 20 mg per day of liquid fluoxetine will be given in the morning using a flexible dosing strategy, following a 36-week dose titration schedule. intervention 2: Between 0.5ml per day and 5ml per day of liquid placebo will be given in the morning using a flexible dosing strategy, following a 36-week dose titration schedule.

Protocol document: