Objectives: To produce a clinical guideline on the management of autistic spectrum disorders in adults, as instructed by the Dutch society of Psychiatry (NVvP) and the Dutch National Institute of Psychology (NIP), in collaboration with the the Trimbos Institute, and the British National Collaborative Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH).
Methods: Both the scope and review questions were set out by the NCCMH. The Dutch taskgroup and topic groups pursued a 3 tier approach, deciding whether to evaluate, adapt or adopt the resulting scientific evidence. The scope of the guideline included case identification, diagnosis and assessment,biomedical interventions,and psychosocial interventions.
Results: We present the biomedical considerations and recommendations with regard to antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, cognitive enhancers and stimulants, anticonvulsants, hormones, and complementary-alternative medicine, for the treatment of core symptoms and associated features for individuals with ASC. The quality of evidence and strenght of recommendations are expressed in GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation) terminology.
Conclusions: The authors show how the guideline assists decision making in clinical practice with a comprehensive summary of evidence based and practice based pharmacological interventions for ASC and related comorbid conditions in adults.
See more of: Treatments: A: Social Skills; School, Teachers
See more of: Prevalence, Risk factors & Intervention