An article in May 2012 stated that more than half of autistic school age children
are on one or more psychotropic drugs. These children already have a rough time
of it and undoubtedly their families suffer too. These mind altering chemicals
can create additional problems for the children as well as their families.
The reasoning behind the dispensing of psychotropic drugs for these autistic
children is that connected with autism are a large amount of psychiatric
symptoms. As well, of course, it is noted that there is an “absence of clear
practice guidelines for psychotropic medication use in children who have autism
spectrum disorder.”(according to researchers involved in the National Institute
of Mental Health survey)
The author says that children with autism are identified by age 3. These children
have impaired social, communication and behavioral development and this is
probably the reason they are targeted with psychiatric drugs. Foster children
also are an easy target for these drugs.
When the National Institute of Mental Health did its survey and came up with 56% of
autistic children between the ages of 6 and 17 being on psychotropic drugs, it
was noted too by the Centers for Disease Control that autism was considered a
rare diagnosis before 1980. In the past thirty plus years, then, autistic
children and the amount of psychiatric drugs which are being dispensed to them
for autism has increased surprisingly. Children with any and all so called
“problems” have also been being selected to take many of these dangerous drugs,
including Prozac, Abilify, Paxil, Ritalin and many other dangerous drugs.
There is no known cause or cure for autism. Therefore the effects created by mind
altering drugs cannot really be known either. However, the effects the drugs
can create are harmful and dangerous. Lisa Colpe, the lead author of the study
from the NIMH, wrote that researchers did not probe into what indications the
children were taking the medications for.
A mere two years ago, in 2010, 27 percent of children enrolled in the Autism
Speaks advocacy group were on psychotropic medications.