Autism Therapy: Which is Best?

February 28, 2025

March 6, 2026

Autism, or ASD, is a highly diverse and complex condition, with symptoms that can vary significantly from one individual to another. It’s essential that treatment plans address the full range of a child's needs rather than focusing solely on external behaviors or symptoms. With many therapeutic options available, it can feel overwhelming. In this blog, you will find summaries of the most popular therapies and the core strategies behind each of them.

Developmental Therapy

Developmental therapy provides the highest quality of care for autism. The model is inclusive of DRBI and RBI and is primarily focused on creating safe and secure connections. DRBI is a relationship and play-based approach that leverages a child's natural interests, hobbies, and communication preferences to create a comfortable environment, making them more receptive to therapeutic interventions. Play is used as a personalized "language" to correspond and empower a child. Like DRBI therapy, Relationship Development Intervention, or RBI, focuses on the relationship between a child and parent (or caregiver). Once a secure relationship is built, a parent uses positive reinforcement to encourage social skills, adaptability and self-awareness. Oftentimes, this approach assists in the development of language (or non-verbal modalities), flexible thinking, ability to regulate during social settings and more.

Key characteristics that set developmental therapy apart include:

• Therapy is child-led
• Goals are determined by the strengths and skillset of each individual
• Therapy is less intense and less intrusive than other forms
• Model addresses the entire profile of a child instead of just challenging behaviors
• Benchmarks are not pre-determined based on neurotypical ("normal") developmental standards
• Average 6-8 hours of therapy/week to see success within 6 months vs 30+ hours/week for other forms
• Model is family-centric and promotes social-emotional interactions within safe relationships
• Incorporates other interventions such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and mental health therapy, as needed
• Empowers parents or caregivers to actively participate in sessions by offering one-on-one support to them

Speech Language Pathology Therapy

Speech language pathologists (SLPs) are highly trained professionals who specialize in assessing and addressing a wide range of communication challenges, not just verbal speech. Focuses may include language, speech sounds, voice, fluency, literacy and social communication.

Occupational Therapy - OT

Occupational therapists not only focus on assistance after an injury, but focus on empowering individuals through emotional regulation, sensory processing, motor skills, and planning.

Music Therapy

Music therapy focuses on calming and regulating techniques through the sound of music, including tone, pitch and melody.

Applied Behavioral Analysis - ABA

ABA therapy uses pre-determined goals to accomplish an identified goal behavior. Therapy is typically therapist-led and based upon actions and consequences of behaviors to drive change to accomplish goals for age benchmarks. ABA typically requires 30+ hours per week of therapy. Learn more about the differences between ABA therapy and the developmental model here.

Choosing the therapy that is most appropriate for your child involves understanding their unique needs, strengths, and challenges to ensure the best possible support. Tailoring the approach to their individual profile and goals help foster meaningful progress and allow for a more personalized, effective treatment plan.