Health

Evidence-based autism therapies that can help your child—and treatments to avoid

Parents · Feb 25, 2026 20:26 · 5 min read

With so much information (and misinformation) out there, it might be difficult to weed out what types of therapy would work best for your child.

Key Takeaways

Evidence-based autism therapies like ABA, speech therapy, and occupational therapy can help your child build skills and grow more independent.
Be cautious of treatments that promise to “cure” autism, because autism cannot be cured and some so-called therapies can be unsafe.
Talking with your child’s doctor and trusted medical groups can help you choose safe, proven support for your child.

When you have a child with autism, you want to do everything in your power to support them and help them thrive, blossom, and grow. But what you might soon find is that there is just so much information out there about autism therapies. How can you tell which are legit and evidence-based—and which are unproven, and possibly risky?

We understand how hard it can be to parse through all the different information you find online and in autism support circles. That’s why we connected with autism experts to help parents understand which are backed by research and evidence, and which are not.

Evidence-Based Autism Therapies

Several evidence-based therapies can be beneficial for children with autism. These therapies include Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Autism therapies aretypically delivered by trained and credentialed therapists or clinicians.

“These therapies are dedicated to improving the child’s functioning through skills-building,” says Erik von Hahn, MD, the chief of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center. “Skills-building includes building skills such as doing one's personal care, helping around the house, socializing with others, participating in meaningful activities at school, such as learning to read, write, do math, or improve conversational skills, and learning to manage one’s emotions.”

ABA Therapy

ABA therapy is considered the gold standard in autism therapies. It's is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the U.S. Surgeon General. All 50 states have mandates requiring autism therapies like ABA therapy to be covered by health insurance.

The goal of ABA therapy is to help children with autism build communication and socialization skills, manage behavior challenges, and learn essential daily living skills. ABA can also help improve cognitive skills and language development, says Anoop Takher, DO, the department chair of behavioral health and medical director of Child Psychiatry at Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago.

“The goal of ABA therapy is to reinforce acceptable behaviors while minimizing problematic behaviors,” he shares.

ABA therapists view behavior as a form of communication, “or a way for the child to have their needs met,” says Kelly Sheehan, BCBA, a board-certified behavior analyst and founder of Eligius Behavior LLC. “With this lens, we're looking at how they might be using a behavior, and what other behaviors we can teach them as alternatives.”

Each ABA therapy session is unique and based on family priorities as well as priorities of the individual child, Sheehan explains.

“Our focus is on ensuring that the child can develop independence and participate more fully in their environment,” she describes. “Our job is to work ourselves out of a job by fading support over time, once new skills are consistent.”

Speech and Occupation Therapy

Children with autism will likely have an individualized education plan (IEP), which helps them secure school-based assistance, says Dr. Takher. Children as young as 3 years old can have an IEP, which can help ensure they are eligible for services through their local education system.

Typically, IEPs include educational interventions like speech therapy and occupational therapy.

“Speech therapy supports alternative communication methods, while occupational therapy addresses motor skills, strength, and adaptive functioning,” Dr. Takher explains.

Unproven and Risky Autism 'Treatments'

There are many different unproven and risky autism treatments out there. According to Dr. von Hahn, non-proven treatments that are used in children with autism include:

Gluten-free diets
Vitamin and mineral supplements
Chelation therapy
Hyperbaric treatments

As Dr. von Hahn points out, one issue with unproven autism treatments is that there actually aren’t any treatments for autism, only therapies. In other words, autism technically can’t be “cured.”

“Proven treatments used in autism are used to improve the functioning of the individual, or to reduce interfering symptoms so that the child can function more successfully,” he explains. “They don’t remove the autism. Any therapy that claims to ‘cure’ autism is not proven.”

FDA Removal of Unproven Autism Treatments Page

At the end of 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed a page on its website that warned parents about unproven and potentially dangerous autism treatments. According to ProPublica, an archived version of this website is available online, where you can see the treatments the FDA previously warned parents against.

These treatments included:

Chelation therapies, meant to clean your body of toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which delivers oxygen to the body in a pressurized chamber.
Detoxifying clay baths
Raw camel milk
MMS (chlorine dioxide)
Essential oils

It’s always crucial to seek education and guidance about autism treatments from qualified professionals, which is why Dr. Takher is concerned about the removal of this page from the FDA’s website.

“Parents and families look to professional governmental agencies for guidance,” he says. “Removing guidance on harmful treatments can lead to worse health outcomes for children with autism.”

Additionally, some autism treatments aren’t just ineffective, but can be dangerous to children.

These include some of the therapies listed in this now-deleted FDA page. For example, according to Sheehan, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can “carry quite a bit of risk with them in the form of errors of usage, explosions, and potential death.” The same is true for chelation therapy, “which may be used in the case of heavy metal toxicity, but has caused death when applied for other treatment purposes,” she explains.

Where to Go For More Information About Autism Therapy

It can be challenging to find good information about how best to help your child with autism.

“It’s important for parents to tell their doctor about the therapies that they are considering for their child, so that their medical provider can point them in the direction of good information,” says Dr. von Hahn. “Parents need to know what works, what does not work, what’s safe, what’s not safe.”

In addition to your child’s pediatrician, Dr. von Hahn recommends the following sources for evidence-based information about autism and autism therapies: