re: Any pharmacists or child psychologists in the house? Question re: Lexapro

dcbl:

I am going to attempt to answer while making some assumptions.

1. If your little girl has been diagnosed and seen the MD at Mitchell's place (Dr. P?) then She has probably had extensive testing to confirm high functioning Autism.
2. Given the extent and intensity of self stimulatory behaviors you describe (some of which is masturbatory) this is not a casual or cultural diagnosis because of some mild social anxiety.
3. If you have gone through enough behavioral evaluation/intervention and ABA therapy and not had the success you are looking for - medication intervention is the next logical step.
4. Most meds (not all) have a proven track record of both safety and efficacy in kids as young as 3 yrs of age.
5. Given the fact that she is not likely to be highly verbal - don't settle for anyone other than a child psychiatrist managing her meds.
6. Lexapro and most SSRI's are very safe and have virtually no long term side effects. But you need to know what specific behavior or symptom you are targeting and an exit strategy once her symptoms are better.
7. Children develop very rapidly and often can stop medications as quickly as 6 months after their symptoms have been effectively controlled. If the symptoms return, you can restart the medication and it will likely work again.
8. There are other classes of meds that have a higher likelihood of success but have increased side effects as well.

TL;DR version - Lexapro is one of the safest choices out there. Best of luck with the trial!