| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Althaus 2015 | Ineligible comparator |
| Aman 1997 | Non‐RCT |
| Aman 2009 | Ineligible comparator |
| Anderson 1984 | Focus not on unwanted behaviours (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Anderson 1989 | Focus not on unwanted behaviours (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Anderson 1997 | Non‐RCT |
| Anderson 2007 | Ineligible outcomes |
| Arman 2003 | Non‐RCT |
| Arnold 2012b | Ineligible comparator |
| August 1987 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Bachmann 2013 | Non‐RCT |
| Barnard‐Brak 2016 | Non‐RCT |
| Beeghly 1987 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Castellanos 2019 | Foccused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Chez 2002 | Non‐pharmacological |
| Chez 2003 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Du 2015 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Duker 1991 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Dunn‐Geier 2000 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Ekman 1989 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Fahmy 2013 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Fang 2018 | Non‐pharmacological intervention (e.g. herbal etc.) |
| Findling 1997a | Non‐pharmacological intervention (e.g. herbal etc.) |
| Groden 1987 | Non‐RCT |
| Guglielmo 2013 | Non‐RCT |
| Handen 2013 | Did not focus on BoC |
| Hellings 2006a | Non‐RCT |
| Hellings 2010 | Non‐RCT |
| Hellings 2015 | Non‐RCT |
| Hess 2010 | Non‐RCT |
| Hollander 2003 | Focus not on BoC |
| Hollander 2006c | Did not focus on people with ASD |
| Hollander 2020c | Retracted study |
| Horovitz 2012 | Non‐RCT |
| Horrigan 1997 | Non‐RCT |
| Hughes 2002 | Non‐RCT |
| Jacob 2020 | Terminated study |
| Jordan 2012 | Non‐RCT |
| JPRN‐UMIN000007250 2012 | Terminated study |
| Jun 2000 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Kolmen 1995 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Kolmen 1997 | Non‐RCT |
| Krusch 2004 | Focus not on BoC |
| Leboyer 1993 | Non‐RCT |
| Lemonnier 2012 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Leventhal 1993 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Levine 1997 | Non‐RCT |
| Malone 2002 | Non‐RCT |
| Moharreri 2017 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Nagaraj 2006 | Scales ineligible and AEs were not specified for each group |
| NCT00198120 2005 | Focused on lethargy and improvement in CGI |
| NCT01078844 | Terminated study |
| Nickels 2008 | Non‐RCT |
| Niederhofer 2007 | Non‐RCT |
| Posey 2004 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Preckel 2016 | Focused on core symptoms of ASD |
| Purdon 1994 | Non‐RCT |
| Radzivil 2006 | Non‐RCT |
| Ratcliff‐Schaub 2005 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Ritvo 1971 | Non‐RCT |
| Ritvo 1983 | Non‐RCT |
| Ritvo 1984 | Non‐RCT |
| Roberts 2001 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Scifo 1996 | Ineligible outcomes |
| Sponheim 2002 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Steiner 1999 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Stubbs 1986 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Sugie 2003 | Non‐RCT |
| Sugiyama 1998 | Ineligible outcomes and measures used were not specific to BoC (e.g. CGI) |
| Tachibana 2013 | Non‐RCT |
| Taylor 1993 | Did not focus on people with ASD |
| Tolbert 1993 | Ineligible outcomes |
| Troost 2006 | Non‐RCT |
| Volkmar 1983 | Non‐RCT |
| Volkmar 2009 | Ineligible study design |
| Wasserman 2005 | Focus not on BoC |
| Wei 2011 | Non‐RCT |
| Witwer 2005 | Did not focus on BoC |
| Yarbrough 1987 | Outcomes ‐ insufficient data reported |
| Yui 2012 | Focus not on BoC (irritability, aggression, self‐injury) |
| Zingarelli 1992 | Non‐RCT |
ABC‐I: Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (Irritability subscale); AE: adverse effect; ASD: autism spectrum disorder; BoC: behaviours of concern; CGI: Clinical Global Impression; RCT: randomised controlled trial