What is this guide for?
This guide offers you reliable information about a wide range of therapies for autistic children. Each short therapy guide:
- describes a particular therapy and the idea behind its approach
- assesses the research on the therapy and says whether there’s reliable research to support it
- estimates the time and costs involved in using the therapy.
How do I use this guide?
To use the guide, you can browse our A-Z index.
How many therapies for autistic children are covered in the guide? How many exist?
This guide currently covers more than 60 therapies for autism, and we’re adding to it all the time. Our selection of therapies is based on the most commonly mentioned therapies.
A search of the internet, books, magazines, autism associations and other materials reveals at least 400 therapies that claim to help autistic children. For many of these therapies, there’s little reliable research evidence that they help autistic children.
Read our article on types of therapies for autistic children for an overview of autism therapies.
Why does the guide cover only a selection of therapies for autistic children?
The guide is a work in progress. We’re developing and adding new therapies all the time. Each short therapy guide takes time as we search for information and give the therapy a rating based on the conclusions of scientific research.
What is the guide based on?
Our classification of autism therapies and other background information is based on 2 reports that identify therapies commonly used in Australia:
- Interventions for children on the autism spectrum: A synthesis of research evidence – a 2020 report prepared by Autism CRC that brings together all available high-quality evidence about therapies for autistic children
- A review of the research to identify the most effective models of practice in early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders – a 2011 report to the Australian Government, prepared by 5 Australian experts in autism – Professor Jacqueline Roberts, Professor Margot Prior, Professor Sylvia Rodger, Professor Katrina Williams and Dr Rebecca Sutherland.
In addition, we look at large reviews and research guides from other countries to understand the international research. These include:
- Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism – a 2020 report from The University of North Carolina, led by Dr Jessica Steinbrenner
- Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review – a 2015 review that comprehensively describes several established therapies, led by Dr Connie Wong from the University of North Carolina.
Why does the guide focus on evidence from scientific research?
Scientific research provides the best and most reliable evidence about what really helps autistic children. This kind of research is usually reported in scientific journals and textbooks, which might be hard to find or time-consuming for parents to research by themselves.
What is the ‘research rating’ in each short therapy guide based on?
Each short guide offers a research rating of an autism therapy. These are the ratings:
- Established – research shows positive effects.
- Promising – some research shows positive effects, but more research is needed.
- Yet to be determined – there isn’t enough research on this therapy for us to rate it, or it hasn’t yet been reviewed by our research sources.
- Ineffective/harmful – research shows this approach is ineffective or can be harmful.
We base the rating for each therapy on the level of scientific evidence that supports the therapy. The aim is to give you a sense of how much unbiased research there is to say that the therapy helps autistic children.
Our rating system is based on the Autism CRC and Steinbrenner reports mentioned above, as well as conclusions from Cochrane systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials when needed.
These sources have carefully assessed many autism therapies, based on very strict criteria for quality and quantity of research and consistency of findings.
Why don’t you use evidence from people’s experience in your research ratings?
Evidence from people’s experience – for example, from people who are putting therapies into practice or parents who are using therapies – isn’t always reliable. This is because it can be biased by people’s ideas, beliefs and values.
With our research ratings, we aim to give you a sense of how much unbiased research supports the effectiveness of various therapies.
How is the guide kept up to date?
raisingchildren.net.au has a program of ongoing review and maintenance of all its content, which includes this guide. This means experts regularly look at our content in light of newly published and relevant research.