Autism Research

Many parents are overwhelmed by the amount of information available on autism on the internet. Often the information is short on facts and heavy on emotion, playing on parental fears that we are missing out on a cure. As parents we need to learn how to be an informed consumer of autism treatment. Crucial to doing this is evaluating the research to see if what you are considering has any backing in science. Families of children with ASD are short on money and on time - we have little to waste on ineffective and expensive 'treatment'. To date, what has proved to have the greatest impact is sound educational interventions, delivered by well trained professionals and para-professionals, working with informed and engaged parents.  International research has also endorsed this approach, as you will see from the information we have gathered below.

At ACT our goal is to help parents build their skills as an informed consumer to maximizing the positive outcomes for their child. Please feel free to call ACT's Information Officers to discuss questions that you may have about whether research supports the type of treatment you are considering. We promise that you will get a sympathetic ear and the most reliable information we can find. We can also help you explore whether the autism funding provided by the BC government will cover this intervention.

• Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network

This  website was developed to provide Canadians with a source of reliable information about autism intervention. The network is based at McMaster's University in Hamilton, Ontario www.cairn-site.com/en/about.html

• Research Autism
  

 This UK-based website is sponsored by the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. Research into a number of treatment approaches are evaluated at a number of levels - it is a great introduction to developing critical skills in evaluating research:

www.researchautism.net/pages/autism_treatments_therapies_interventions/

• A Parent's Guide to Research

This helpful in-depth guide offers parents information about how to read, understand and evaluate research studies.
www.researchautism.org/resources/reading/index.asp

• Association for Science in Autism Treatment

• Autism Watch
  This website was developed to offer a scientific perspective on the variety of aspects of ASD and is designed primarily for families of children and adults with ASD as well as others who are treating or supporting people with ASD. This site provides basic information about and provides a scientific analysis of treatment approaches, reviews the various theories regarding the cause of autism and their merits along with a list of reliable sources of autism information.
  www.autism-watch.org
  

• CIRCA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism