January 1, 2026
Dear ABC Gold Coast News Editorial Team,
We are writing in response to your November article, “As autism diagnoses rise, experts caution against ‘non-evidenced treatments,’ by Julia André.
Thank you for raising awareness toward the importance of evidence-based treatments for autistic individuals. As you mentioned, autism spectrum diagnoses are on the rise. This is true not just in Australia, but worldwide. This increase in diagnosis rates has also resulted in an increase in demand for treatment, which has led many families and caregivers to consider any available option, including those with limited or no research to support their effectiveness.
As this article points out, when families of newly diagnosed individuals are repeatedly informed that services involve waitlists lasting months or even years, interventions that promise faster access to interventions, regardless of their empirical support, may appear appealing.
Many non-scientific based treatments often promote rapid symptom relief, but their advertisements rarely identify the very real possibility of a lack of scientific-basis or negative side effects that may have long term impacts on overall health and wellbeing. The article specifically highlights treatments lacking scientific support carry significant risks, including the possibility that individuals may go without proven, effective interventions potentially limiting overall progress. Early intervention treatment approaches often have an optimal age range for beginning services and delaying the process for these treatments can reduce the amount of service time received by the individual resulting in limited opportunities for advancement in skill acquisition and increased exposure to maladaptive experiences.
We at ASAT also advocate for science-backed treatment for autistic individuals and commend the author for highlighting the dangers of pseudoscientific treatment. The article also effectively illuminates the widespread difficulties faced by families and caregivers of autistic individuals who are often lured toward interventions that lack empirical support that may offer limited or no therapeutic benefit due to increased wait times for services, which can be both overwhelming and stressful for families. Thank you for highlighting these important issues and for centering the lived experiences of families navigating complex and often overwhelming systems of care.
Sincerely,
Brittany Faith Thacker, EdD., BCBA, ASAT Extern
Reva Mathieu, EdD., BCBA, ASAT Media Corner Co-Coordinator
