Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT00468130

Efficacy of Aripiprazole Versus Placebo in the Reduction of Aggressive and Aberrant Behavior in Autistic Children

Hypothesis: (1) Aripiprazole treatment will be superior to placebo in reducing aggression and irritability in autistic individuals as shown by reductions in the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-irritability subscale.

(2) Aripiprazole treatment will be superior to placebo in the acute treatment of global autism severity.

The purpose of this study is to examine the possible benefit of the medication Aripiprazole in autistic individuals.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Autism Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia Aggression Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic Disorder Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders Social Behavior

Age range

5 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Behavioral Health Care Building

Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, United States

About this study

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic medication which is currently approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Multiple clinical trials in both children and adults have shown the effectiveness in the treatment of autism with medications like Aripiprazole. This study aims at assessing the effect of aripiprazole vs. placebo treatment on symptoms of irritability and aggression associated with autism, as well as the effect on the global severity of child and adolescent autistic disorder. Children or adolescent outpatients, with age ranges from 5-17, will be enrolled into an 8-week placebo controlled, double blind treatment study. During the 8 weeks, patients will be monitored by the treating psychiatrist. Study assessments will be administered at designated time points.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Meets DSM-IV, ADI-R criteria for autistic disorder.
  • Age 5-17 years.
  • Outpatients
  • Parent or legal guardian willing to sign informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

  • Subject has been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (such as schizophrenia) or a mood disorder, including depression or bipolar disorder (manic depression).
  • Subject has caused visible harm to him/herself.
  • Subject has an active seizure disorder or epilepsy (seizures within the past year).
  • Subject has an unstable medical illness, including heart disease.
  • Subject has experienced brain injury.
  • Subject has a history of diabetes.
  • Subject reports significant improvement of autism symptoms and behaviors to current medication or other therapies.
  • Subject has a history of prior treatment with Aripiprazole of 5 mg/day or higher for 6 weeks.
  • Subject lives in a far away area and/or does not have regular access to transportation to the clinical facility.
  • Subject is a pregnant female or unwilling to use acceptable contraception if sexually active.

Treatment and study plan

Aripiprazole

Drug

Subjects under 40 kg will be started on 2.5mg per day of aripiprazole for the first week and increased to 5 mg at week 2. If clinically indicated (partial improvement with minimal or no side effects), the dosage will be increased each week by 2.5 mg until they reach a maximum of 10 mg at week 4. Medication will not be increased after week four but may be lowered in the case of adverse effects. Subjects over 40 kg will start at 5 mg and be increased to 10 mg at week 2. If clinically indicated, they will be increased each week by 5 mg until they reach a maximum of 20 mg at week 4. After week 4, the subject will remain on the same stable dose, unless the dose needs to be decreased due to adverse effects

Other names: Abilify

Placebos

Drug

Inactive tablet made to resemble active tablet

Subjects under 40 kg will be started on 2.5mg per day of placebo for the first week and increased to 5 mg at week 2. If clinically indicated (partial improvement with minimal or no side effects), the dosage will be increased each week by 2.5 mg until they reach a maximum of 10 mg at week 4. Medication will not be increased after week four but may be lowered in the case of adverse effects. Subjects over 40 kg will start at 5 mg and be increased to 10 mg at week 2. If clinically indicated, they will be increased each week by 5 mg until they reach a maximum of 20 mg at week 4. After week 4, the subject will remain on the same stable dose, unless the dose needs to be decreased due to adverse effects

Other names: Placebo

Primary outcomes

  1. Clinical Global Impression Improvement (CGI-AD)

    Time frame: Administered weekly, initial and week 8 reported

    Clinical Global Impression Improvement (CGI)-AD (Guy, 1976). This is a standard rating scale with 7-point global severity and change scales which has been modified for Autistic Disorder. A rating of 2 is given when there is a substantial reduction in symptoms so that a treating clinician would be unlikely to change treatment. A rating of 1 is reserved for patients who become virtually symptom-free. A rating of 3 (minimally improved) on the CGI is defined as slight symptomatic improvement that is not deemed clinically significant. Administration time is approximately 2 minutes. Minimum is 1 and maximum is 5. A lower score indicates improvement, whereas a higher score indicates worsening.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Aberrant Behavior Checklist

    Time frame: Administered biweekly, initial and week 8 reported

    Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) (irritability section) (Aman et al, 1985). The Aberrant Behavior Checklist assesses drug and other treatment effects on mentally retarded individuals. It consists of a five-factor scale comprising 58 items. We will use the Irritability section to assess aggressive and agitated behavior. While the internal consistency, validity and test-retest reliability were reported to be very good, inter-rater reliability was moderate (Aman et al, 1985). The ABC will be filled out by an informant, and then reviewed by the psychiatrist. Administration time is approximately 10 minutes. Maximum is 36, minimum is 0, a lower score indicates improvement.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Other

Registry information

Acronym: Abilify

Important dates

Study start
2006
Primary completion
2009
Study completion
2009
First posted
May 2, 2007
Registry last updated
Jan 14, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.