Interventions under Evaluation by Research Autism: Frequently Asked Questions

This page is designed to answer some of the questions we get asked about the Treatments and Therapies Under Evaluation section of our website.

If you can’t find the answer to your question on this page please email info@researchautism.net and we will try to help.

For answers to some of the other commonly asked questions about interventions please see Introduction to Interventions for Autism

What is the purpose of the ‘Treatments and Therapies Under Evaluation’ section?

To provide a quick and simple description and and evaluation of some of the most commonly used autism treatments and therapies.

Please note that our descriptions and evaluations do not constitute a recommendation about whether or not an intervention is suitable for a particular individual with autism. Each individual with autism is different and what works for one individual may not work for another.

How do you decide which interventions to evaluate?

We try to include and evaluate interventions if

they are in common usage e.g. the gluten-free, casein-free diet
there is a substantial body of research evidence around them e.g. early intensive behavioural intervention
numerous people have made claims of cure or recovery for them e.g. chelation
we believe them to be potentially hazardous e.g. holding therapy

If you think there is a significant intervention we have yet to evaluate please email info@researchautism.net.

How do you decide which studies to include in your evaluation of an intervention?

We try to include all studies published in English, peer-reviewed, journals which examine the effectiveness or otherwise of that intervention. That includes clinical trials – such as randomised control trials – as well as observational studies – such as case studies.

However, when it comes to rating an evaluation we place considerably more weight on clinical trials than we do on observational studies since the former are more scientifically valid and reliable.

More information

How does your rating system work?

1 tick. Limited positive evidence Our rating is based on a simple ticks and crosses system. The more ticks, the more evidence to support an intervention. The more crosses, the more evidence to show that an intervention is not supported.

Insufficient or mixed evidence Where this is no evidence, very little evidence or the evidence is mixed or contradictory, we show this with a variety of other symbols.

Harmful effects Where there is objective evidence of potential harm, we show this with a hazard symbol.

For more information please see Ratings of Treatment Studies of Autism

Why do some interventions have a rating of N/A?

Not Applicable This symbol (not appropriate) means that we do not consider it appropriate to provide a ranking for this entry.

Some entries are general approaches, which encompass many different interventions. For example, applied behaviour analysis includes interventions such as discrete trial training, functional communication training, video modelling etc.. This makes it very difficult to provide a rating for the approach as a whole.

Other entries on this page include many different types of the same thing. For example, there are numerous types of antipsychotics – such as the older, typical or conventional antipsychotics (inc. haloperidol) and the newer, atypical antipsychotics (inc. risperidone). This makes it very difficult to provide a rating for antipyschotics as a whole.

Why do some interventions have a rating of U?

This symbol (ungraded) means that we have yet to grade this intervention. We have provided some information about it but we have not yet had the opportunity to rate the scientific evidence for its effectiveness.

Why does each intervention have a type?

We have broken down the interventions into different types or categories so that you can see which interventions are broadly similar to which others.

So, for example, we have grouped diets, hormones and nutritional supplements together under ‘Diets and supplements’ since these all involve ingesting/injecting appropriate substances. We have also grouped a variety of interventions such as discrete trial training, the DIR method and Social Stories under ‘Behavioural and developmental interventions’ since they involve training, showing or encouraging the individual to modify his or her behaviour.

Like any division the categories are somewhat arbitrary and subject to change over time. We recognise that there is considerable overlap between many different approaches. For example, strategies based on applied behavioural analysis are an integral part of many interventions, such as EIBI and PECS, while many alternative and augmentative communication systems rely on some form of technology

More information on Types of Autism Treatments and Therapies