The report’s emphasis on safety is especially important. Many therapies are promoted because they seem harmless or promising, yet without consistent monitoring we can’t know their real risks or benefits. Asking for clear evidence of both effectiveness and side effects protects vulnerable people and helps direct resources toward approaches that genuinely support learning, health, and daily life.
Evidence shapes what we try next. Thinking about human potential means prioritizing treatments that expand opportunities, reduce harm, and are accessible to diverse communities. The full article explains how researchers weighed different kinds of studies and where gaps remain. Click through to learn which treatments stood up to scrutiny and which questions need better answers so families and providers can make more informed choices.
A major new review has put hundreds of alternative autism treatments under the microscope—and most didn’t hold up. Scientists analyzed decades of research and found little reliable evidence that popular approaches like probiotics, acupuncture, or music therapy truly work. Alarmingly, safety was often ignored, with many treatments never properly evaluated for side effects. The researchers stress that looking at the full body of evidence matters far more than trusting a single hopeful study.
