Tool

Check the Method

If someone recommends a method, diet or supplement, check whether it has scientific backing. Search by name or browse the list.

This is not diagnosis or medical advice. We only show what evidence-based medicine says: Cochrane reviews, AAP, NICE, AOTA, ASHA recommendations, FDA warnings. Make decisions together with your doctor or specialist.

• ABA therapy

  Evidence-based

  A broad approach grounded in the science of learning. It helps a child acquire communication, daily living, and play skills while reducing behaviors that interfere with learning. Modern variants of ABA include both structured discrete-trial teaching and naturalistic methods.

  Behavioral therapies

• PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)

  Evidence-based

  A structured 6-phase communication protocol. The child hands over a card to request a desired item. Gradually progresses to sentence structure and commenting.

  Communication and AAC

• Occupational therapy

  Evidence-based

  Helps a child acquire skills for daily living, play, school, and motor function. Sessions are individualized, with specific functional goals.

  Sensory-motor

• Melatonin for sleep

  Evidence-based

  A hormone medication that helps autistic children fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Typically used short-term, alongside behavioral sleep strategies.

  Medical

• Gluten-free casein-free diet (GFCF)

  No evidence

  A diet without gluten (wheat, barley, rye) and casein (dairy proteins). Based on the unproven "opioid excess" theory, which holds that peptides worsen autism symptoms.

  Diet and supplements

• Chelation therapy

  Unsafe

  Drugs (oral DMSA or intravenous EDTA) that bind heavy metals for excretion. Proponents claim autism is caused by mercury or other metal toxicity.

  Alternative

• Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)

  Evidence-based

  An ABA-based program for children under 6. Sessions run 20-40 hours a week for 2-3 years. Structured along the Lovaas model and its successors.

  Behavioral therapies

• AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

  Evidence-based

  An umbrella for any non-speech communication: from cards and gestures to tablet apps with voice synthesis. Works for minimally verbal people of any age.

  Communication and AAC

• Ayres Sensory Integration Therapy (Ayres SIT)

  Limited evidence

  A clinical occupational therapy approach using individually selected sensorimotor activities: swings, brushes, deep pressure. The goal is to help the child process sensory input.

  Sensory-motor

• SSRIs (antidepressants) for anxiety

  Limited evidence

  Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram). Sometimes prescribed off-label for comorbid anxiety, OCD-like behavior, or depression in autistic people. This is NOT a treatment for the core symptoms of autism.

  Medical

• Ketogenic diet

  Limited evidence

  A high-fat, low-carbohydrate medical diet (originally for drug-resistant epilepsy). Currently being investigated as a possible intervention in autism, particularly with comorbid seizures.

  Diet and supplements

• MMS / CD (chlorine dioxide, "Miracle Mineral Solution")

  Unsafe

  A 28% sodium chlorite solution that, when mixed with citric acid, produces chlorine dioxide (an industrial bleach). Proponents (notably Kerri Rivera and the "Genesis II Church") tell parents to give it to children orally or rectally, supposedly to "remove parasites" and "reverse" autism.

  Alternative

• Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI)

  Evidence-based

  An umbrella category of interventions that combine behavioral and developmental principles. Sessions take place in the natural environment, through play, and are child-initiated. This group includes ESDM, JASPER, PRT, Project ImPACT, and others.

  Behavioral therapies

• Hippotherapy

  Limited evidence

  Therapy through horseback riding or interaction with a horse. Often delivered by an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech-language pathologist. The goal is to support sensorimotor regulation, social interaction, and behavior.

  Sensory-motor

• Risperidone and aripiprazole for irritability

  Evidence-based

  Atypical antipsychotics, the only two drugs approved by FDA specifically for irritability in autism (tantrums, aggression, self-injury). This is NOT a treatment for the core symptoms of autism.

  Medical

• Omega-3 (EPA / DHA)

  Limited evidence

  Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (EPA / DHA) from fish or algae. The hypothesis is that they support neurodevelopment and reduce inflammation.

  Diet and supplements

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)

  No evidence

  Breathing concentrated oxygen in a sealed chamber under increased pressure. Proponents claim it reduces neuroinflammation and improves autism symptoms.

  Alternative

• Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT)

  Evidence-based

  One of the NDBI variants, developed by the Koegels. It targets pivotal skills: motivation, responding to multiple cues at once, self-management, and initiation. Delivered through play and natural reinforcers.

  Behavioral therapies

• Music therapy

  Evidence-based

  Music experiences (improvisation, singing, listening) led by a certified music therapist. The goal is to support social interaction, communication, and emotional regulation.

  Sensory-motor

• Megadose vitamins (B6 with magnesium, B12)

  Unsafe

  High-dose vitamin regimens (most often pyridoxine B6 combined with magnesium, sometimes B12 injections). Promoted as a "biomedical treatment" for autism.

  Diet and supplements

• Stem cells for autism

  No evidence

  Clinics infuse umbilical cord blood, mesenchymal cells from umbilical cord tissue, or other "stem cell" products intravenously or intrathecally. They claim it reduces autism symptoms through modulation of neuroinflammation.

  Alternative

• JASPER

  Evidence-based

  A targeted NDBI by Connie Kasari (UCLA). Focused on the foundations of social communication: joint attention, joint engagement, and symbolic play. Delivered in short sessions in the natural environment.

  Behavioral therapies

• Probiotics

  Limited evidence

  Live bacterial supplements (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium). The goal is to alter the gut microbiome and, via the gut-brain axis, potentially affect autism symptoms or comorbid gastrointestinal problems.

  Diet and supplements

• GcMAF

  Unsafe

  An unlicensed blood-derived protein product marketed as a treatment for autism, cancer, and HIV via the alleged "activation of macrophages" against a fabricated marker called "nagalase". Administered as weekly injections.

  Alternative

• Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

  Evidence-based

  A comprehensive NDBI for children 12-48 months old. Combines ABA principles with developmental and relationship-based teaching. Delivered by therapists or by parents through natural play.

  Behavioral therapies

• CEASE therapy

  No evidence

  Developed by the late Dutch homeopath Tinus Smits. Combines homeopathic "clearing" of vaccines and medications, high doses of vitamin C, and dietary restrictions. Based on the false premise that autism is caused by accumulated "toxins" (Smits attributed roughly 70% to vaccines).

  Alternative

• DIR / Floortime

  Limited evidence

  A child-led developmental approach by Stanley Greenspan, delivered through play. Focuses on emotional engagement and functional emotional capacities. Often delivered by parents.

  Behavioral therapies

• Holding therapy

  Unsafe

  A method (associated with Martha Welch and Jirina Prekopova) in which an autistic child is physically restrained face-to-face with a parent or therapist for a prolonged time, often through screaming and resistance, supposedly to "form attachment". "Rebirthing" variants simulate the womb by wrapping the child.

  Alternative

• Facilitated Communication, RPM, S2C

  No evidence

  FC: a "facilitator" physically supports the hand of a non-speaking autistic person while typing on a keyboard or letterboard. RPM and S2C: successors in which the facilitator holds the board. Proponents claim this "reveals" hidden literacy and intellect.

  Alternative

• Auditory Integration Training (AIT)

  No evidence

  Listening to electronically modified or filtered music through headphones (Berard: 10 hours over 10 days. Tomatis uses different filtering). Proponents claim it reorganizes auditory processing and reduces autism symptoms.

  Alternative

• Craniosacral therapy

  No evidence

  A practitioner lightly touches the head, spine, and pelvis, supposedly detecting and adjusting the "rhythm" of cerebrospinal fluid. Proponents claim it reduces sensory issues and improves autism symptoms.

  Alternative