Our evidence base

13 independent sources cited across our condition and service pages:

1. American Academy of Pediatrics — Hyman, Levy & Myers, Pediatrics (2020)

   The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening every child for autism at 18 and 24 months, because identifying autism early and starting support sooner improves children’s communication, social and behavioural outcomes.

   The same clinical report notes that effective early programmes blend behavioural and developmental teaching and place parents at the centre — weaving learning into everyday play and routines rather than relying on the clinic alone.

   The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends routine developmental screening in early childhood, because identifying differences early and starting support sooner improves children’s communication, social and behavioural outcomes.

   The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that identifying autism early and starting support sooner improves children’s communication, social and behavioural outcomes — with parents at the centre of effective programmes.

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2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Practice Portal

   Evidence for childhood apraxia of speech most strongly supports frequent, intensive, motor-based therapy — practising the movements of speech — with approaches such as Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing showing good results.

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3. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Law, Garrett & Nye (2003), CD004110

   A Cochrane systematic review of 25 studies found that speech and language therapy is effective for children with expressive vocabulary and speech-sound (phonological) difficulties.

   That same review found no significant difference between therapy delivered by a clinician and therapy delivered by trained parents — which is exactly why we coach you to support your child at home as part of every plan.

   A Cochrane systematic review of 25 studies found that speech and language therapy is effective for children with speech-sound (phonological) difficulties — the difficulties behind unclear speech.

   The same review found no significant difference between therapy delivered by a clinician and therapy delivered by trained parents — which is why we coach you to support your child at home as part of every plan.

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4. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Reichow et al. (2018), CD009260

   A Cochrane review found that early intensive behavioural intervention (based on Applied Behaviour Analysis) improved children’s adaptive behaviour, learning and language compared with standard care — while the authors note that more high-quality research is still needed.

   A Cochrane review found that early intensive behavioural intervention improved children’s adaptive behaviour, learning and language compared with standard care, though the authors note more high-quality research is still needed.

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5. Frontiers in Pediatrics, narrative review (2025)

   A review of early rehabilitation for global developmental delay concluded that early identification and intervention significantly improves a child’s prognosis and can reduce the likelihood of later intellectual disability.

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6. Hall et al., Reading Research Quarterly (2023)

   A meta-analysis of 53 studies covering more than 6,000 children found that reading interventions work best when they teach letter-sound knowledge and phonics explicitly and systematically — the core of structured literacy.

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7. Jones et al., BMJ (2005)

   A randomised controlled trial found that preschool children who received the parent-delivered Lidcombe Program were more than seven times more likely to reach minimal levels of stuttering than untreated children — strong support for early intervention.

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8. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), guideline NG87 (2018)

   National guidelines recommend offering parents of children with ADHD a group-based parent-training programme to build practical strategies — and note this support should not wait for a formal diagnosis.

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9. Novak & Honan, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (2019)

   A systematic review of paediatric occupational therapy found strong evidence that task-specific handwriting practice improves children’s handwriting.

   A systematic review of paediatric occupational therapy found strong evidence that task-specific handwriting practice improves children’s handwriting performance.

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10. Randomised controlled trial, US National Library of Medicine (PMC, 2024)

    A randomised controlled trial found that group parent-training was effective in reducing challenging behaviour in pre-school children with intellectual disability, and increased parents’ confidence in managing it.

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11. Schoen et al., Autism Research (2019)

    A systematic review of randomised controlled trials found that Ayres Sensory Integration therapy helps autistic children make measurable progress towards their own individual, functional goals.

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12. Seager et al., International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders (2022)

    A systematic review found that 9 of 11 studies reported positive language and communication outcomes for children with Down syndrome aged 0 to 6 — and every one of those interventions was co-delivered by parents and clinicians.

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13. US Centers for Disease Control — Early Hearing Detection and Intervention study, Pediatrics (2017)

    A large study found that children with hearing loss who met all three early benchmarks — screened by one month, identified by three months, and in early intervention by six months — had significantly better vocabulary than those who did not.

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Want to see how this evidence shapes real support? Explore our therapy services, the conditions we help with, or our therapy approaches.