A COMPARISON OF LIVE AND VIDEOTAPE RATINGS - CLOMIPRAMINE AND HALOPERIDOL IN AUTISM

This study compared live ratings with ratings of videotapes and compar ed response to clomipramine with response to haloperidol in 8 subjects , mean age 5.62 yeats, who met criteria for autism, They were consecut ive admissions to a pilot study of clomipramine (n=4) or a double-blin d, placebo controlled study of haloperidol (n=4), Live ratings were pe rformed by two raters at the end of the pre-treatment placebo baseline period and at the end of the drug treatment period on the CPRS and th e CGI and were videotaped, Employing the same instruments, these video tapes were rated by two raters who did not know the subjects and were blind to study design, treatment, and study phase, Ratings of videotap es significantly differed from live ratings, A treatment effect for ha loperidol was detected only on live ratings and not on ratings of vide otapes, No treatment effect was detected for clomipramine in either li ve or videotape ratings.