Autism Foundation of America
Loading pageAFA Support Evidence Atlas
Choose an autism therapy, support, or goal. AFA reviews the scientific research and explains what the studies appear to show, how confident we are in that finding, and what researchers still do not know - in plain language.
Already considering two options? Compare supportsWhat Is the Evidence Atlas?
Autism research can be difficult to navigate. Studies may examine different ages, outcomes, support needs, and methods, and their conclusions do not always agree.
The AFA Evidence Atlas brings that research together and summarizes it in plain language so families and autistic people can understand what a support may help with, how confident the evidence is, and where important uncertainty remains.
The Atlas does not tell you what treatment or support to choose. It helps you understand the evidence behind your options.
We look at specific outcomes such as communication, sleep, daily living, motor skills, employment, sensory needs, and more.
We separate what the studies found from how much confidence we can place in that finding.
We show who was studied, important research limitations, potential concerns, and questions that remain unanswered.
What Do We Mean by Evidence?
In the Evidence Atlas, evidence means the body of scientific research available on a particular support and outcome. That can include clinical trials, individual studies, systematic reviews, meta analyses, and other relevant research.
AFA reviews that research, compares what the studies found and where they are limited, and then summarizes the result in two separate ways: the finding and the evidence certainty.
Studies, trials, systematic reviews, meta analyses, and other research make up the evidence we examine.
For each outcome, we summarize the research as Likely Benefit, Possible Benefit, Mixed Results, Effect Uncertain, or another appropriate finding.
High, Moderate, Low, Very Low, or Insufficient describes how much confidence the available research gives us — not how large the benefit is.
Example: “Moderate certainty · Likely Benefit” means the research generally suggests that the support helps with that specific outcome, and we have reasonable confidence in that conclusion. It does not mean the benefit itself is only moderate.
Find a Support
Pick a goal and we'll show the completed evidence reviews that may be relevant.
Filters organize potentially relevant reviews. The full review separately explains who was actually represented in the research.
Reviewed Supports
12 completed reviews currently available.
Communication systems and tools that supplement or provide alternatives to spoken language.
Best-Supported For
Functional communication and requesting
Overall Evidence Picture
Low certainty for most measured outcomes
Main Limitation
Adults, long term outcomes, and quality of life
A broad family of approaches that use principles of learning and behavior to teach skills and address specific behaviors.
Best-Supported For
Language and some adaptive, daily living, and targeted behavior outcomes in young children
Overall Evidence Picture
Mostly Low certainty and highly dependent on the outcome and intervention
Main Limitation
Harms, long term quality of life, adolescents, and adults
Individualized support for language, functional communication, speech, social communication, AAC, and related communication needs.
Best-Supported For
Expressive language and targeted communication outcomes in young children
Overall Evidence Picture
Mostly Low certainty, with substantial variation by intervention and outcome
Main Limitation
Minimally speaking people, adults, long term outcomes, and quality of life
Support for everyday activities, independence, participation, sensory needs, motor skills, environmental adaptations, and meaningful routines.
Best-Supported For
Individualized occupational performance goals in children receiving fidelity based Ayres Sensory Integration
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for individualized ASI goals; Low or insufficient for many broader OT outcomes
Main Limitation
Autistic adults, long term outcomes, and intervention specific evidence outside pediatric ASI
Structured psychological therapy most commonly used to address anxiety, depression, and other co occurring mental health concerns.
Best-Supported For
Short term anxiety reduction in autistic children and adolescents
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for youth anxiety; Low or insufficient for many adult and long term outcomes
Main Limitation
Long term outcomes, intellectual disability, high support autism, harms, and adult effectiveness
Individualized assistance with finding, obtaining, learning, and maintaining meaningful paid employment.
Best-Supported For
Competitive integrated employment for transition age youth using Project SEARCH plus ASD Supports
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for obtaining employment in specific transition programs; Low or insufficient for broader outcomes
Main Limitation
Older adults, long term job quality, career advancement, wages, and individualized support needs
Evidence based approaches to insomnia and disrupted sleep, including behavioral sleep support, CBT-I, environmental changes, and melatonin.
Best-Supported For
Melatonin for sleep onset and total sleep time in autistic children and adolescents
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for pediatric melatonin and structured youth sleep interventions; Low or insufficient for several other outcomes
Main Limitation
High support autism, intellectual disability, adults, individualized treatment matching, and broader long term safety
Professional coaching that teaches parents and caregivers strategies to support communication, learning, daily life, interaction, and behaviors of concern.
Best-Supported For
Caregiver implementation skills and some targeted child communication, social, and behavior outcomes
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for some targeted outcomes; Low for many broader developmental and family outcomes
Main Limitation
Long term outcomes, child quality of life, diverse caregivers, high support autism, and family burden
Structured social learning and peer based approaches designed to support friendship, interaction, participation, relationships, and navigating social situations.
Best-Supported For
Social knowledge and practiced social skills in structured programs such as PEERS, plus peer engagement in some school based peer mediated interventions
Overall Evidence Picture
Mostly Low certainty, with results varying substantially by program, outcome, informant, and setting
Main Limitation
Real world friendship, long term generalization, quality of life, masking, high support autism, and minimally speaking people
Tools, strategies, and environmental changes intended to reduce sensory barriers, improve accessibility, or support regulation and participation.
Best-Supported For
Individualized sensory strategies, deep pressure input, and selected accommodations that reduce specific sensory barriers
Overall Evidence Picture
Mostly Low or Very Low because evidence is tool specific, often small, and frequently not autism specific
Main Limitation
Adult effectiveness trials, environmental accommodations, long term outcomes, and evidence for individual commercial sensory products
Structured movement, exercise, sports, and physical activity approaches used to support motor skills, fitness, participation, and physical health.
Best-Supported For
Gross and fundamental motor skills in autistic children, including locomotion, object control, coordination, and balance
Overall Evidence Picture
Moderate for child motor skill improvement; Low or insufficient for many broader social, behavioral, adult, and long term outcomes
Main Limitation
Adults, profound autism, long term participation, quality of life, and which programs work best for different support needs
Visual schedules, activity systems, written or picture supports, and structured teaching approaches used to make tasks, routines, and expectations clearer.
Best-Supported For
Independent task completion, following routines and activity schedules, and on task participation
Overall Evidence Picture
Low certainty for most outcomes because much of the evidence uses small or single case studies; broader TEACCH outcomes remain mixed
Main Limitation
Large randomized studies, autistic adult outcomes, long term independence, quality of life, and direct autistic perspectives
More evidence reviews will be added as the Atlas grows.
How We Handle Uncertainty
The Atlas does not rank supports from best to worst. Evidence can be stronger for one outcome and weaker for another, and a lack of research is not the same thing as evidence that something does not work.
