What is evidence-based medicine and how does it relate to autism?
There are many different therapies that are regularly proposed as effective in treating autism. Some of these have been proven effective in a research setting and some have not. A therapy does not have to be proven effective in order to be effective. Sometimes many years must pass and many different experiments and studies have to be performed before enough evidence has accumulated to indicate that a given therapy is effective for treating autism. Scientists and doctors are constantly striving to find safe and effective ways to treat autism, however. So, if years have passed since a therapy has been tried and no peer-reviewed research has been published supporting the effectiveness of the therapy, then there is reason to doubt the therapy is effective. Many physicians and health insurance providers are reluctant to recommend therapies that have not been proven effective by scientific study. This is because they are reluctant to waste time and money on a therapeutic approach that they a
