Lessons Learnt in Conducting a Clinical Drug Trial in Children with Asperger Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To describe the authors' experience of conducting a clinical drug trial in children with Asperger Syndrome, including the pitfalls encountered and lessons learnt. CONCLUSIONS: The main barrier encountered was in the recruitment of children: it was not possible to recruit the target of 60 patients. The recruitment of children is often the major barrier to the progress of a successful clinical trial. Conducting the clinical drug trial was greatly facilitated by the appropriate setting and experienced clinical pharmacology staff.