Currently there are no commonly accepted standards for autism treatment, and families are often left to navigate the course of their child's future on their own. Treatments vary regionally, and there is no system in place to coordinate the development of treatment protocols or novel therapeutics, nor their validation to qualify for insurance coverage.

To achieve standardization of treatment, Autism Speaks supports research into development and translation of innovative therapies, creation of assistive technologies and formation of centers with integrated multi-disciplinary medical teams. Autism Speaks has led the charge in creating the standards for clinical trials, and is partnering with other organizations to promote intervention approaches and treatment gold standards. We believe that all families should have access to state-of-the-art care.

Treatment Grants
Because of its importance, Autism Speaks has Grant Awards specially dedicated to research into treatments for autism. These grants are reviewed by a separate Treatment Advisory Board charged with finding projects that will lead to promising interventions.

Autism Clinical Trials Taskforce
One of the biggest gaps in autism treatment is the limited knowledge bridging basic biology and clinical research. To address this issue, Cure Autism Now convened the Autism Clinical Trials Taskforce, in 2002 (Santa Monica, CA) in order to have clinicians derive a consistent strategy for clinical studies in autism. The meeting brought together a panel of participants from academia, government, and industry. Five subcommittees were formed to focus on issues of clinical trials in autism, and the resulting reports were published as an entire issue of CNS Spectrums. This forward-thinking meeting has provided a valuable volume which informs researchers today, as discovery research moves the field closer to more and more clinical trials specifically designed for autism. This effort was solidified in 2005 by formation of our Clinical Trials Network which is designed to do shared, rapid trials among a group of experienced clinical researchers who can enact the guidelines laid out by the Clinical Trials Task Force.