Pharmacotherapy of Stereotypes in Autism

Background: stereotypes are non specific manifestations of mental illnesses of various etiologies. Stereotypes affect the dynamics and severity of the manifestations of the underlying disease and require drug therapy. The aim of the study is to analyze published studies on pharmacotherapy of stereotypes in people with autism. Materials and Methods : according to the keywords “autism”, “autism spectrum disorder”, “stereotypes”, “stereotypic movements”, “repetitive actions”, “habitual movements”, “treatment effectiveness”, articles in English and Russian were searched in the databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, eLibrary for the period from 2005 to 2024. Conclusion: an analysis of published works has shown that there is no specific drug therapy for stereotypes in autism spectrum disorders to date. It is still not clear how appropriate an attempt to reduce stereotypical actions is, taking into account existing theories about the self-regulating role of repetitive behavior. The medical elimination of stereotypes is necessary when they reach the level of violence, severe obsession, hinder purposeful activity and the implementation of psychological and pedagogical correction.