5 Questions to Ask About Autism Therapies

If you have an autistic child, chances are you’ve been offered some type of services for them. These run the gamut from speech therapy and occupational therapy to Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) which many autistic adults describe as abusive. These five questions can help you decide which therapies are appropriate for your child

1. Who is this therapy for? 
   Is this primarily for the child, their peers, their parents, their school?
2. What is the goal? 
   Is this therapy to help with social skills, with speech, with behavior?
3. What is the cost? 
   Is this therapy worth the time, energy, and money? Is it worth the travel? Is it worth the time away from academics? Does it teach dangerous levels of compliance that may endanger children?
4. How does my child feel?
   Do they look forward to therapy? Do they try to get out of it? Do they smile while it’s going on or do they whine and resist?
5. Does my child like this therapist?
   Are they excited about therapy? Do they greet the therapist? Do they frown?

Some skills-based therapies may be beneficial to the child, especially if they don’t take up too much time and are done by a friendly therapist the child likes. These questions can help you decide if a therapist or therapy is a good fit for your child or not.