Repeated episodes of neuroleptic-related dyskinesias in autistic children.

The objective of this study was to examine data from 14 autistic children who developed repeated episodes of haloperidol-related dyskinesias in an ongoing, long-term maintenance clinical trial. The sample consisted of 9 males and 5 females, whose ages ranged from 3.4 to 6.7 years. These 14 children are a subsample of 29 children who developed dyskinesias at least once. In each subsequent episode, the dyskinesias tended to occur increasingly earlier and to last longer. Most of the dyskinesias developed upon haloperidol withdrawal. The topography of dyskinesias, the relationship of behavioral symptoms to severity of dyskinesias, and an attempt to characterize subgroups with dyskinesias are also presented.