Why pharmacotherapy is overused among persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a relatively common disorder with lifelong and lasting impairments. As a result, professionals are developing and using a host of intervention strategies. In addition to applied behavior analysis, pharmacotherapy has played a critical role in the advancements of treatment. The use of pharmacological interventions has played a central and important role in recent treatment innovations. Despite the many positive aspects of these drugs, they have often been overused. The present paper reviews many of the reasons for this phenomenon. Published by Elsevier Ltd.