Pharmacological Intervention Medication is not a substitute for appropriate education and behavioral management but may be a useful adjunct and enable a child to make full use of other therapies. Medications are generally used to treat targeted, specific symptoms of autism Medication is most often used to reduce self-injurious and aggressive behaviors, attention deficits, compulsive behavior, psychotic symptoms, and affective . The primary care provider may want to consult a child psychiatrist, pediatric neurologist, and personnel from developmental disorders clinics for their expertise about new antiepileptic and psychoactive medications that may be useful in treating specific behaviors. No medication has ever been shown to be efficacious with all children with autism, but many can make some symptoms better or have a paradoxical effect Methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine that may decrease hyperactivity and increase attention. In children with autism, however, these drugs may increase attention to the one thing to which the child is already . Ritalin frequently increases hyperactivity in children with autism or has a "rebound" effect that causes children to be more active when the dose has worn off. Fluoxetine has been shown to improve behavior, cognition, language, affect, and social skills in some children with autism. Not all children treated responded, however, and some had increases in hyperactivity. DeLong and colleagues reported that a response to fluoxetine in their subjects correlated with a family history of a major affective disorder. Carbamezapine and valproate are two antiepileptic drugs that also have mood stabilization effects. Parents must be cautioned to report any symptoms of liver toxicity or thrombocytopenia that their