How we write and check our guides
Our editorial policy: what you can expect from every guide on this site.
In short
Every guide starts from Canadian government pages, professional bodies and published research. It links each fact to its source, says how strong the evidence is and shows the date it was checked. We use AI tools to help research, draft and check, and a person decides what we publish. Each guide says whether a professional reviewer has checked it yet.
Who we write for
Parents and caregivers of autistic children in Canada, including families who are still waiting for an assessment. We write in plain English, explain every term the first time we use it, and start each guide with a short answer, so a tired parent can get what they need quickly. We also write guides for the child care and school staff who work with autistic children, which parents can share with their child's program or school.
Where our information comes from
For each fact we use the most reliable source we can find, roughly in this order:
- Canadian law and government pages: the Government of Canada, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, and provincial and territorial governments.
- Professional bodies, such as the Canadian Paediatric Society and Speech-Language & Audiology Canada.
- Systematic reviews and trials published in research journals.
- Hospitals, universities and organizations with expert practical information, such as AboutKidsHealth from SickKids, always named in the guide.
We link each fact to its source, list every source at the end of the guide and show the date we checked the guide against them. We don't use forums, sites selling treatments or therapy providers' marketing as evidence.
How we show how strong the evidence is
When a guide describes an approach, an Evidence check box says plainly how strong the research is and what it rests on: for example, whether the studies were large or small, whether results came from parents' own reports, and whether anyone has tested it at all. If an approach has little evidence but is low-risk and sensible, we say so. If an approach could cause harm, we say that clearly too.
How we write about therapies, including ABA
We are neutral about therapies. Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) is part of public programs in several provinces, so it may be what your family is offered. Our guides describe the options, what each one involves and what the research says. We never judge the choices families make.
How we use AI tools
We use AI tools to help us research topics, draft guides and check them. AI tools can get things wrong, so we have rules:
- Every link in a guide must point to a source we have already looked at. Our publishing checks block any other link.
- Each guide is checked against its sources before it goes live, and again when it is updated.
- A person decides what we publish, and we are responsible for every word.
Each guide says that it was drafted with the help of AI tools, in its "How this guide was made" box.
Professional review
We are recruiting Canadian reviewers to check our guides, each in their own field: speech-language pathologists, psychologists, pediatricians and developmental pediatricians, and occupational therapists registered in their province or territory; education lawyers and advocates; Disability Tax Credit and benefits advisers; Registered Behaviour Analysts in Ontario; parents; and autistic adults. Where a profession is regulated, we check the reviewer's registration on the public register.
Until a guide has been reviewed, it says so at the top of the page, and its "How this guide was made" box says "Not yet reviewed". Once it has been reviewed, the guide shows the reviewer's name, role and the date they checked it.
Keeping guides up to date
Every guide shows the date it was last updated and when its next review is due, no more than 12 months later. We update sooner when the law, government guidance or the research changes. Provincial programs change with budgets and elections, so we give every figure a date and say whether a change is in effect or has only been announced. Phone numbers and opening hours on our where to get help page show the date we last checked them.
The words we use
- We write "autistic child". Many autistic people prefer this identity-first language. Autism Ontario recommends it too, while noting that each person may have a different preference (Autism Ontario). We respect families who use other words.
- We describe autism as a difference and a disability, not a disease. We don't say anyone "suffers from" autism or needs a "cure", and we don't use functioning labels.
- Many Canadian assessment reports give a support level from 1 to 3. We explain what the levels mean, but we never use them as labels for a child.
- We never set a goal of making a child look less autistic, stopping harmless stims, forcing eye contact or making a child comply. We treat distress as communication, not misbehaviour.
- We don't blame parents.
Health, legal and money information
Our guides give general information, not advice about your child. We never recommend medicines, supplements, doses or brands, and we never suggest a diagnosis. Where there could be a risk, a Get help now box says who to contact. For decisions about your own child, talk to your family doctor or pediatrician, your child's school, or a qualified adviser.
Money and advertising
We don't carry ads, sponsored content or affiliate links, and no one can pay to be mentioned in a guide or on our where to get help page.
Mistakes and corrections
If you spot a mistake, email support@rocksmakepebbles.co.uk and tell us which guide and what is wrong. We fix mistakes quickly, update the guide's date, and list significant corrections, with their dates, on our corrections page.