Interventions, Treatments and Therapies for Autism

A child with autism on a horse An intervention is any kind of activity (such as a treatment, a therapy or the provision of a service) that is designed to improve the quality of life for people on the autism spectrum







What the research does show is that, while there is no cure for autism, some interventions do appear to help at least some individuals on the autism spectrum.


Research Autism information service

The Research Autism information service was set up to provide an objective evaluation of the scientific evidence behind the most commonly used interventions.

Here you can find information about a wide range of interventions, including what they are, what they are supposed to achieve and whether there is any supporting scientific evidence behind them.

Please note that we do not wish to prove or disprove a given intervention. Our aim is to report on the scientific evidence behind each intervention, irrespective of whether that evidence is positive, negative or mixed. Nor do we wish to promote or to denigrate any particular group of therapies. So we look equally carefully at educational, medical and other types of interventions.

Please also note that our descriptions and evaluations do not constitute a recommendation about whether or not an intervention is suitable for a particular individual on the autism spectrum. That is a decision for the autistic individual (and/or their carers, clinicians and others) to make.

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21 Jun 2018