How we write and check our guides

Who we write for

Parents and caregivers of autistic children in the United States, including families who are still waiting for an evaluation. 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, and we follow a written sourcing policy:

1. Data, law and entitlements. We cite federal government pages, such as CDC data reports and the federal special education regulations, and record the date we checked each one.
2. Causes, vaccines and medicines. We cite professional bodies and peer-reviewed research first, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. If a federal page says something different, we quote it accurately, with its date, and then give the professional position.
3. Policy changes. We date every policy item and label it as announced, proposed, in effect or stayed.
4. Who said what. When we report how a claim or decision has been described, we name the body that described it. We don't use adjectives about officials in our own voice.

For practical information, we also use universities and nonprofit organizations with expert knowledge, 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, including applied behavior analysis (ABA). 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 US reviewers to check our guides, each in their own field: speech-language pathologists (CCC-SLP), licensed psychologists, pediatricians (FAAP) and developmental-behavioral pediatricians, occupational therapists (OTR/L), special education attorneys, advocates and Parent Center staff, benefits advisers who know SSI and Medicaid, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), parents and autistic adults. Where a profession is licensed or certified, we check the reviewer's credentials 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. Phone numbers and hours on our where to get help page show the date we last checked them.

The words we use

• We write "autistic child". Language preferences vary: HealthyChildren.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics' website for parents, notes that preferences in the autistic community vary and says it is moving to identity-first language, such as "autistic children" (HealthyChildren.org). 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.
• Evaluation reports often 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 misbehavior.
• 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 child's pediatrician or school, or, for questions about early intervention, IEPs and 504 plans, your state's Parent Center.

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.