A look at “A Review of Therapeutic Approaches for Autism Spectrum Disorder” by Yang Hai, Saihan Bai, Huiting Qiao, Deyu Li, Daifa Wang and Meiyun Xia (2025)
If you’ve ever searched online for autism support, you’ll know the options can feel like a never-ending fairground: medication, behavioural programmes, acupuncture, brain stimulation, music, horses, dolphins. This review from researchers in China tries to sort the carousel into five categories and ask what each one offers.
What they found
Medication can work quickly for things like severe distress, aggression or attention difficulties, but no medicine improves autism’s core features, and side effects are a real concern.
Behavioural and developmental approaches are described as the cornerstone of support for young children. These include ABA and more play-based, naturalistic approaches. They’re structured and adaptable, but long, intensive and very dependent on the skill of the practitioner.
Traditional Chinese medicine, especially scalp acupuncture, gets a substantial section. One study the authors highlight reported a “97.1% effective rate” for a particular acupuncture technique in children.
Brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS and neurofeedback) shows early, small-scale signs of benefit for things like attention and social engagement.
Complementary approaches include music therapy, animal-assisted work (horses, dogs and dolphins), exercise, sandplay and art. These are generally low-risk and enjoyable, with some promising results. One well-designed trial of 116 young people found horse-assisted therapy helped social communication.
The authors’ own bottom line is admirably sober. Very few interventions have strong evidence behind them, and those that do are mainly behavioural. Acupuncture, brain stimulation and complementary therapies “have not yet met the standards” for routine use. Most studies are small, short-term and inconsistent in how they measure success.
A grain of glitter ✨
The conclusions are cautious, but the body of the review is less so.
Although the abstract says it “systematically summarizes” treatments, there’s no systematic search, so we don’t know how studies were chosen. Some eye-catching claims, like that 97.1% effective rate, are reported without much scrutiny. Figures like that should always raise a sceptical eyebrow. Dolphin-assisted therapy is mentioned approvingly, even though it has long been criticised by scientists and animal welfare groups.
The framing is also firmly medical. Autism is a “disorder” to be treated, success often means “normalising” brain activity or reducing “symptoms”, and the word “neurodiversity” doesn’t appear once. The focus is almost entirely on children, with little on what autistic adults themselves want from support.
Why this matters
If you’re navigating options for yourself or your child, this review is a useful reminder that popularity isn’t the same as proof. Many approaches are pleasant and low-risk, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying music, movement or time with animals for their own sake. But be wary of anything promising near-miraculous results, and ask what the evidence really shows.
Not every shiny horn is attached to a real unicorn. Some are just cones with very good marketing.