ildren are given every opportunity possible to respond to aspect of teaching, including that of peers. The typically developing children are also encouraged to initiate communication with the autistic children. And the fifth key element is family participation. LEAP advocates parent behavioral skills training that teaches basic behavior management and effective strategies for teaching these children (Strain & Hoyson, 2000).There have been no concrete studies done that support the efficacy of the LEAP. Though, many studies have shown the effectiveness of many of the aspects of LEAP, such as, parental or peer involvement. So, it would be expected that LEAP would result in improved learning.Although all of the methods I have described so far have included some form of behavior management, different medications have also been thought to be effective in improving behavior in autistic individuals. One of the core elements of autism, as in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is repetitive thoughts and behaviors. Likewise, abnormalities in serotonin function have also been identified in both disorders. Therefore, McDougle et al. describe studies noting the responses in individuals with autism to the five serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), clomipramine, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine, used today for the treatment of the behaviors of OCD patients. The studies, however, have offered mixed results. There have been only three published controlled studies involving clomipramine in children and adolescents with autism and one study involving fluvoxamine in adults. All three of the studies found the SRI to be effective in repetitive behaviors, as well as aggression, self-injurious behavior, and impaired social relatedness. Other controlled (unpublished) and open-label studies suggest that SRIs are not well tolerated and of limited efficacy in younger (prepubertal) autistic children as compared with adolescents and a...
