RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of risperidone treatment on behavioral disorders in children with autism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty children with behavioral disorders (aged from 5 to 12 years) were treated with risperidone for 8 weeks. The behavioral symptoms were evaluated by the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) before and after the treatment. The adverse events related to risperidone treatment were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The score of severity of illness and the ATEC total scores were significantly reduced 8 weeks after risperidone treatment. Besides the social intercourse ability, great improvements have been shown on the verbal communication, apperception and behavioural symptoms by the ATEC. No severe adverse events related to risperidone treatment were observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Risperidone can significantly improve the behavioral disorders in children with autism and is well-tolerated.</p>