Saliva and serum lithium monitoring in hospitalized children.

Serum and saliva lithium levels are presented for 30 inpatients, ages 5.12 to 11.95 years, diagnosed as having conduct disorder of the undersocialized aggressive type. Maintenance doses of lithium carbonate ranged from 600 mg to 1,500 mg/day. Serum and saliva lithium levels were significantly correlated at optimal dose (r = .78, p less than .001) and overall (r = .83, p less than .001), lending support to the use of saliva lithium levels as an adjunct to serum lithium determinations. However, because saliva/serum lithium ratios reveal wide ranges between subjects, the use of saliva levels is limited, and laboratory assessments should be combined with careful clinical monitoring.

Stereotypies and tardive dyskinesia: abnormal movements in autistic children.

Baseline stereotypic movements in 224 autistic children were studied as well as their relationship to certain demographic variables and measures of overall symptomatology and severity of illness. Prediction of haloperidol-related dyskinesias with measures of stereotypies and demographic variables was also attempted. Stereotypies were present in at least mild form in most children, with most showing moderate severity. Most stereotypies were in the orofacial area. I.Q. was found to be negatively related to stereotypies. Furthermore, across methods of assessment, severity and frequency of stereotypies were found to be positively related to overall symptomatology and severity of illness. No significant predictors of development of dyskinesias were found.

Naltrexone in autistic children: a double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to assess critically the effects of naltrexone on behavioral symptoms and learning in autistic children, and its safety. This is a preliminary report on 18 children, ages 3.08 to 7.99 years, who completed this ongoing study. Subjects were randomly assigned to naltrexone or placebo and received daily doses over a period of 21 days. Naltrexone was superior to placebo according to blind Clinical Global Consensus Ratings (unpublished scale). However, other behavioral rating measures did not confirm this result. There was only a suggestion that naltrexone reduced fidgety and hyperactive behavior and tended to alleviate overall symptomatology in older children. Naltrexone did not appear to affect discrimination learning. Results are preliminary and, owing to the small sample size, can be considered only suggestive until this study is completed or replication is obtained from independent research.