Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by social dysfunction and stereotypic behaviors. The etiology of ASD remains largely unexplored, resulting in a diverse array of described clinical manifestations and varying degrees of severity. Currently, there are no drugs approved by a supervisory organization that can effectively treat the core symptoms of ASD. Childhood and adolescence are crucial stages for making significant achievements in ASD treatment, necessitating the development of drugs specifically for these periods. Based on the drug targets and mechanisms of action, it can be found that atypical psychotropic medications, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant medications, hormonal medications, ion channel medications, and gastrointestinal medications have shown significant improvement in treating the core symptoms of ASD in both children and adolescents. In addition, comparisons of drugs within the same category regarding efficacy and safety have been made to identify better alternatives and promote drug development. While further evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of these medications is needed, they hold great potential for widespread application in the clinical treatment of the principal symptoms of ASD.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一系列以社交功能障碍和刻板行为为特征的神经发育疾病。ASD的病因在很大程度上仍未探明，它的临床表现多种多样，而且严重程度也各不相同。目前，尚无经监管机构批准的药物可有效治疗ASD的核心症状。儿童期和青春期是ASD治疗取得重大成果的关键阶段，因此有必要开发专门针对这两个时期的药物。根据药物的作用靶点和机制，研究发现非典型精神药物、抗炎和抗氧化药物、激素药物、离子通道药物和胃肠道药物能显著改善儿童和青少年的ASD核心症状。此外，比较分析同类药物的疗效和安全性可以确定更好的替代药物，并促进药物的开发。虽然这些药物的有效性和安全性仍需要进一步评估，但它们在临床治疗ASD核心症状方面具有巨大的广泛应用潜力。.
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD); Core symptom; Pharmacotherapy; Repetitive behaviors; Social dysfunction.