Article: Making an informed choice about autism interventions

Many parents report that choosing therapy services for their child is an overwhelming and often stressful experience. Most parents will turn to Google for information on autism and autism therapies once their child receives an autism diagnosis or as soon as they suspect their child has autism. 

The sheer volume of information available is staggering, with literally millions of search results to wade through. Not all websites are equal either. Some websites containing information on autism and autism interventions (used interchangeably with the word treatment) provide information that is irrelevant, misleading, and sometimes just incorrect. 

How do you know if a website is trustworthy?

Experts have come up with a brief questionnaire that provides users with a valid and reliable way of assessing the quality of written information on treatment choices for a health condition such as autism. The questionnaire is called DISCERN, and can be found online here.

The DISCERN criteria for a good quality publication (including websites) about treatment choices will include the following:

1. Have explicit aims
2. Achieve its aims
3. Be relevant to consumers
4. Make sources of information explicit
5. Make date of information explicit
6. Be balanced and unbiased
7. List additional sources of information
8. Refer to areas of uncertainty
9. Describe how treatment works
10. Describe the benefits of treatment
11. Describe the risks of treatment
12. Describe what would happen without treatment
13. Describe the effects of treatment choices on overall quality of life
14. Make it clear there may be more than one possible treatment choice
15. Provide support for shared decision-making

This is a good list to keep in mind when viewing any websites that have information about autism. One of the more credible websites available to Australian families is www.raisingchildren.net.au. They have a huge amount of information on autism and autism therapies including a parents guide for therapies. The Raising Children website achieves a high score when rated using the DISCERN tool.

Once you've decided that the information you are reading is from a trustworthy and credible source, the next step is to select a treatment or intervention approach that is right for your child. 

There are hundreds of intervention approaches available, many which have research evidence supporting their use. The Autism Intervention Umbrella Review commissioned by the Australian federal government and conducted by the Autism Cooperative Research Centre provides a good overview of the options available, but there's still so much information to get through!  

It's important to be informed about your options in order to make a choice that is:

• right for your child and family 
• considers the evidence underpinning the treatment approach 
• is an option that is available in your area

If you have any questions at all about our therapy approach, the strategies we use to support your child's goals, or any other aspect of our service, please ask your therapist.