Intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one, or often many, people (usually family, friends and professionals) to help a child progress through a systematic process of meeting specific goals and objectives related to challenges introduced by their autism diagnosis. It can also refer to the act of using a technique within a therapy session.
When exploring different intervention options for your child, it is important to keep in mind that there is no one treatment that is appropriate for every child with autism. A child needs to be carefully assessed to determine what type of intervention he/she may respond to best. Often times, a combination of different interventions must be tailored to meet a child's specific needs in order to produce the desired outcomes and progress.
It can be confusing to know how to evaluate the intervention options when so many are available. Many experts recommend using only Peer Reviewed Research Based Treatment/Interventions - those therapies that have published research on outcomes in peer-reviewed journal. While it is easy to find anecdotal evidence for successful therapies, it is recommended to proceed with caution if a therapy lacks research to support its claims or offers a "cure" for autism.