How to Know Which ASD Therapies Work

Evidence vs. Speculation: How to Know Which ASD Therapies Work

By Stephanie Bates, BCBA

Search online for "autism therapy for children," and you will get more than 90 million results offering information on everything from applied behavior analysis (ABA), equine therapy, restricted diets, hyperbaric chambers, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and alternating tactile stimulation, to behavioral therapy, chelation, electroconvulsive therapy, and so much more. 

Parents want the best for their children and are willing to try anything that might help, but identifying a therapy that will help can be confusing. With so many options available, how can parents tell which therapies actually work? 

The answer is "evidence-based therapy." Simply put, "evidence-based" refers to a treatment that scientists have found to be effective at helping people with specific problems. Looking for evidence of a therapy's results can help you tell the difference between therapies that have been shown to help many kids with autism and therapies whose impact is unknown. 

What is Evidence-Based Therapy?

Evidence-based therapy may sound complicated, but the basics are simple. First, it means scientific research has been conducted with enough participants who have shown statistically significant improvement. Scientists use advanced mathematical tools to determine whether participants improved due to the treatment, random chance, or something entirely unrelated.

Evidence-based also means a panel of experts has reviewed the experiment and its results from various fields, and it has been duplicated by other qualified researchers. 

The bottom line: An evidence-based therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one the scientific community has deemed effective for a large number of children.

Most unproven therapies will not hurt your child. The biggest risk is wasting time. The hours you spend each week on an untested autism therapy could be spent on an evidence-based therapy program that has been proven to work. In the meantime, your child has missed opportunities to make progress.

Evidence-Based or Not?

Figuring out whether an autism therapy is scientifically proven and is likely to help your child does not have to be complicated. Asking a few simple questions can provide the information you need to make an educated decision.

1. Is this therapy evidence-based? It may sound obvious, but you should ask this question about any therapy you are considering. A "no" answer is not necessarily the end of the conversation, but it can help you decide whether the therapy is worthwhile and where it might fit in your child's treatment plan.
2. How many studies have been conducted on this therapy? There is no exact right answer, but you should look for therapies with at least five to ten studies for each skill area or behavior being measured. For example, more than 600 research studies have proven that Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is effective for children with autism.
3. What types of children participated in the studies? As parents know, most children with autism need help in a number of areas. Evidence that proves a therapy works for children who have difficulty speaking is only valuable if that is a challenge facing your child. Ideally, you are looking for studies that show results among children whose needs are similar to your child's.
4. Have experts from other disciplines confirmed the results? If a panel of speech therapists, behavior analysts, and teachers have all confirmed the quality of a study, you can be more confident in the findings.