Internet survey of treatments used by parents of children with autism.
Parents run about seven treatments at once—always ask for the full list before you write your ABA plan.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Eisenhower et al. (2006) ran an online survey. They asked parents to list every treatment they were using for their child with autism.
Parents wrote in speech therapy, visual schedules, sensory play, ABA, diets, vitamins, and drugs. The team counted how many each family used.
What they found
Most families juggled seven treatments at the same time. Speech therapy and picture schedules topped the list.
Over half also gave special diets, pills, or supplements.
How this fits with other research
Dib et al. (2007) asked the same question one year later and got almost the same answer. Three-quarters of families used extra, non-ABA treatments.
Saral et al. (2023) asked again in 2023. They found even higher use: 88 percent now try complementary or alternative medicine. The rise looks big, but the earlier paper counted all treatments while the newer one counted only CAM, so the jump is partly a math trick.
Höfer et al. (2017) pooled 20 studies and showed the 2006 survey sits right in the middle of a steady climb in CAM use.
Why it matters
Parents are mixing many things before they walk in your door. Always ask for the full list—diets, pills, oils, and apps—so you can spot interactions, track behavior changes, and keep your ABA plan from being blamed for something else.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one open question to your intake form: “List every food rule, pill, or therapy you use at home.”
02At a glance
03Original abstract
We developed an Internet survey to identify treatments used by parents of children with autism. The survey listed 111 treatments and was distributed via colleagues and through chapters of the Autism Society of America and Autism Organizations Worldwide. A total of 552 parents submitted usable returns during the 3-month survey period. On average the parents reported using seven different treatments. The number of treatments used varied as a function of the child's age and type/severity of disability within the autism spectrum. Speech therapy was the most commonly reported intervention, followed by visual schedules, sensory integration, and applied behavior analysis. In addition, 52% of parents were currently using at least one medication to treat their child, 27% were implementing special diets, and 43% were using vitamin supplements. Because parents were using a large number of treatments, many of which lack empirical support, future research should focus on understanding the decision-making processes that underlie treatment selection by parents of children with autism.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2006 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2004.12.002