Use of ECT in Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability: A Single Site Retrospective Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Disorders

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are prevalent, heterogeneous conditions often presenting with psychiatric comorbidities.
• Limited effective treatment options exist for psychiatric comorbidities in individuals with ASD and/or ID.
• Preliminary research suggests electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be beneficial for these patient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID).

Main Methods:

• A 10-year retrospective review of electronic medical records was conducted.
• Identified patients included intellectually capable individuals with ASD (IC-ASD), and those with ASD and ID, or ID alone, who received at least three ECT treatments.
• Clinical response was assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale.

Main Results:

• 32 patients met the inclusion criteria; 30 (94%) demonstrated a positive clinical response (CGI-I score ≤ 3).
• The average retrospective CGI-I score was 1.97, indicating significant improvement across all patient groups (p < 0.001).
• No significant adverse events were documented in the clinical records.

Conclusions:

• Findings support previous research indicating ECT is an effective treatment for individuals with ASD and/or ID experiencing psychiatric comorbidities.
• ECT appears to be a safe and well-tolerated intervention in this patient population.
• Further research is warranted to solidify these findings and explore optimal ECT protocols for ASD and ID.