30/12/2025
"Among interventions with an efficacy supported by at least moderate levels of quality of the evidence, only oxytocin showed—for
one outcome in one age group—a statistically significant but small
effect (SMD
A massive scientific review just tested dozens of autism therapies — and most failed.
Researchers from the University of Southampton, Paris Nanterre University, and Paris Cité University looked at all the available evidence on common complementary and alternative interventions used for autism.
They didn’t just review a few small studies. They analyzed 248 meta-analyses drawing on results from about 200 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 participants to see which approaches had real scientific support. University of Southampton. “A massive scientific review put alternative autism therapies to the test.”
The goal was ambitious: to evaluate 19 different types of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicines (CAIMs) that autistic people and families often try. This included animal‑assisted therapies, acupuncture, probiotics, music therapy, herbal medicines, and Vitamin D supplements.
What the researchers found was stark. Very few of these treatments had strong evidence showing they actually improved core symptoms or wellbeing. Many showed weak or low‑quality results. Some seemed to help in small ways, but the effects were inconsistent and unreliable. Just as striking, fewer than half of the treatments had been properly evaluated for safety, meaning possible harms or side effects were often ignored.
That matters. Autism isn’t a single condition with a single treatment path. People explore alternative therapies hoping for relief with fewer side effects than conventional approaches. But without solid evidence, those hopes can lead people toward interventions that simply aren’t proven.
To help change that, the research team also created a free online platform where people can explore the scientific evidence behind different therapies more easily. The idea isn’t to dismiss all alternative approaches outright, but to make sure decisions are grounded in the best available science rather than isolated hopeful studies.
Read the study:
"Complementary, alternative and integrative medicine for autism: an umbrella review and online platform." Nature Human Behaviour, 2025
