Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29237331›Full record

ReviewJournal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)2018

Autism spectrum disorder: Consensus guidelines on assessment, treatment and research from the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

Oliver D Howes, Maria Rogdaki, James L Findon, Robert H Wichers, Tony Charman, Bryan H King, Eva Loth, Gráinne M McAlonan, James T McCracken, Jeremy R Parr and 5 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
131citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
11.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

131 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 343 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  17. Article
  18. Beyond the Outburst: Charting a New Frontier for Understanding and Treating Irritability in Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Review
  19. Review
  20. Review

71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Oliver D Howes1 MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK.
Maria Rogdaki1 MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK.
James L Findon3 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, King's College London, London, UK.
Robert H Wichers3 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, King's College London, London, UK.
Tony Charman4 Department of Psychology, King's College London, London UK.
Bryan H King5 Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
Eva Loth3 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, King's College London, London, UK.
Gráinne M McAlonan6 The Sackler Centre and Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry, Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
James T McCracken8 Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA.
Jeremy R Parr9 Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
Carol Povey10 The National Autistic Society, London, UK.
Paramala Santosh11 Department of Child Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Simon Wallace12 AT-Autism, London, UK.
Emily Simonoff13 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Declan G Murphy6 The Sackler Centre and Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry, Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
King's College London · GBMRC London Institute of Medical Sciences · GBSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust · GBNewcastle University · GBThe National Autistic Society · GBUniversity of California, Los Angeles · USUniversity of California, San Francisco · US

Funding

Department of Health RP-PG-0606-1045Medical Research Council G0700995Medical Research Council MC_U120097115Medical Research Council MR/N026063/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

An expert review of the aetiology, assessment, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder, and recommendations for diagnosis, management and service provision was coordinated by the British Association for Psychopharmacology, and evidence graded. The aetiology of autism spectrum disorder involves genetic and environmental contributions, and implicates a number of brain systems, in particular the gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonergic and glutamatergic systems. The presentation of autism spectrum disorder varies widely and co-occurring health problems (in particular epilepsy, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and irritability) are common. We did not recommend the routine use of any pharmacological treatment for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. In children, melatonin may be useful to treat sleep problems, dopamine blockers for irritability, and methylphenidate, atomoxetine and guanfacine for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The evidence for use of medication in adults is limited and recommendations are largely based on extrapolations from studies in children and patients without autism spectrum disorder. We discuss the conditions for considering and evaluating a trial of medication treatment, when non-pharmacological interventions should be considered, and make recommendations on service delivery. Finally, we identify key gaps and limitations in the current evidence base and make recommendations for future research and the design of clinical trials.

Indexed as

AnimalsAtomoxetine HydrochlorideAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityAutism Spectrum DisorderBrainConsensusGuanfacineHumansMelatoninMethylphenidatePsychopharmacologySleep Wake DisordersAtomoxetine HydrochlorideGuanfacineMelatoninMethylphenidateaetiologyAutismguidelinesneurodevelopmentaltreatment

Identifiers

PMID29237331
PMCPMC5805024
OpenAlexW2775647200

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.