Abstract

This study characterized psychotropic medication use among Medicaid-enrolled children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders by examining trends over time, including length of treatment and polypharmacy using 4 years of administrative claims data from 41 state Medicaid programs (2000-2003). The data set included nearly 3 million children and adolescents who were 17 years or younger. Approximately, 65% of children with autism spectrum disorder received a psychotropic medication. The results indicate an increasing overall trend in the use of psychotropic drugs among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Among the different classes of psychotropic drugs, antipsychotics were the most common. Increasing trends in polypharmacy were observed both within and between medication classes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)631-637
Number of pages7
JournalAutism
Volume18
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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