SynthesisBMC psychiatry2015
Pharmacological interventions for challenging behaviour in children with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions for Youth With Mild Intellectual Disabilities or Borderline Intellectual Functioning and Externalising Problems: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2025Pooled it
- A randomized trial comparing diet and delivery strategies for weight management in adolescents with intellectual disabilities.Pediatric obesity · 2023Trial
- A family-based weight loss randomized controlled trial for youth with intellectual disabilities.Pediatric obesity · 2021Trial
- Clinical audit of psychotropic medication use at a South African intellectual disability hospital.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026Article
- Treatment of Challenging Behaviour in Children and Youth With an Intellectual Disability With or Without Autism.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID · 2026Article
- Beyond expression: structured art-based therapy and attention span in pupils with intellectual disability.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Behaviours that challenge in children with intellectual disability: systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Caring by default: experiences of caregivers of children with developmental disabilities in Ghana mirrored in the context of the stress process model.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Reducing challenging behaviours among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities in community settings: a systematic review of interventions.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2024Review
- Article
- Common practical questions - and answers - at the British Association for Psychopharmacology child and adolescent psychopharmacology course.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Review
- Comorbidity of mental health and autism spectrum disorder: perception of practitioners in management of their challenging behaviour.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2023Article
- Review
- Withdrawing Antipsychotics for Challenging Behaviours in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Experiences and Views of Prescribers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Withdrawing Antipsychotics for Challenging Behaviours in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Experiences and Views of Experts by Experience.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Navigating the Ghanaian health system: stories from families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2022Article
- Efficacy and acceptability of pharmacological, psychosocial, and brain stimulation interventions in children and adolescents with mental disorders: an umbrella review.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2021Article
- The Use of Psychotropic Medication in Iranian Children with Developmental Disabilities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Evaluation of Health Care Disparities for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Ohio.Community mental health journal · 2021Article
- Weight outcomes in children with developmental disabilities from a multidisciplinary clinic.Research in developmental disabilities · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPsychotropic medications are frequently used to treat challenging behaviour in children with intellectual disabilities, despite a lack of evidence for their efficacy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of pharmacological interventions for challenging behaviour among children with intellectual disabilities.
methodsElectronic databases were searched and supplemented with a hand search of reference lists and trial registries. Randomised controlled trials of pharmacological interventions for challenging behaviour among children with intellectual disabilities were included. Data were analysed using meta-analysis or described narratively if meta-analysis was not possible. For quality assessment, the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach were used.
resultsFourteen studies including 912 participants met inclusion criteria. Antipsychotic medication reduced challenging behaviour among children with intellectual disabilities in the short-term (SMD = -1.09, p < 0.001 for risperidone; SMD = -0.64, p <0.001 for aripiprazole). However, there were significant side-effects including elevated prolactin levels (SMD = 3.22, p < 0.001) and weight gain (SMD = 0.82, p < 0.001). Evidence was inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of anticonvulsants and antioxidants for reducing challenging behaviour. The quality of all evidence was low and there were no long term follow up studies.
conclusionsAntipsychotic medications appear to be effective for reducing challenging behaviour in the short-term among children with intellectual disabilities, but they carry a risk of significant side effects. Findings from this review must be interpreted with caution as studies were typically of low quality and most outcomes were based on a small number of studies. Further long-term, high-quality research is needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of psychotropic medication for reducing challenging behaviour.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.