Antipsychotic Treatment of Autistic Shutdowns—A Case Study

The client was a 23-year-old, White (non-Latinx) female. She was 5′3′′ tall and weighed approximately 148 lbs. at the beginning of the study (she gained approximately 8 lbs during the antipsychotic treatment). She began tracking shutdowns early in therapy, and she continued to track them through the entirety of the study period. Her diagnosis of ASD was based upon clinical interviewing, interviewing with her mother and father, and the administration of the tests presented below. As per the Slick Criteria,1 her diagnosis of ASD was based upon multiple, generally independent data points (Table 1).