When ‘Support’ Becomes a Sales Pitch: Staying Safe from Autism Scams

All parents want their children to lead happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, in 2025, this often means being exposed to a plethora of medical advice, testimonials and claims that encourage parents to try untested, unsafe, and often ineffective products or strategies aimed at helping their child. This is especially prevalent in the Autism community. How many times have I scrolled through social media and been advertised a powder that helped someone's child speak within three weeks, or a lotion that guarantees to eliminate all sleep disruptions, or a detoxification system that completely reversed someone's Autism within a month? There are so many products, and services, and therapies, and strategies out there - many of them conflicting with one another - and almost all of them requiring some form of payment before allowing you access.

I recently participated in a potty training workshop with a professional, which started with a free webinar around potty training and the difficulties of training Autistic children. The facilitator shared some difficult personal experiences around training her own child that is on the spectrum, and how she went from a place of frustration to a place of victory and freedom and being diaper-free. It was a great story that inspired the hundreds of parents on the call, also struggling to potty train their own Autistic children.

Then the facilitator proceeded to give a hypothetical. "Imagine one day you wake up, and your child comes downstairs, and verbally asks you for pancakes, and you make her the pancakes and she sits down with the rest of the family - no stress, just happy family time, then afterward she gives you her plate and goes into the bathroom, independently, and uses the potty, and washes her hands. And she goes to school excited because she has friends, and she isn't withdrawn. Isn't that the life we all want for our children?" And as she spoke these words, she began to cry, tugging at the heartstrings of the parents on the call who are looking for strategies to help their children - many of them who are sensory-sensitive, nonverbal, and still in diapers.

I looked at the chat; dozens of messages from parents eager to do whatever it takes to help their children. So finally the facilitator said, "If this is the life you want for your children, let's continue the conversation." She advanced the slide, and she announced that she can make all of our dreams come true for $5,000. Then, she reminded us that this fee is a drop in the bucket compared to the alternative - a child who is trapped in the state of being unable to properly express themselves and is still in diapers.

Now, let me go on record of saying - I truly believe that a professional is worthy of his or her fee. They are providing a service and deserve to be compensated for sharing their products and their expertise. However, emotionally manipulating parents into paying $5,000 by crying on a call, and promising them a life that seems out of reach goes beyond the realm of what is reasonable and moral. These are families that are already spending considerable amounts of money on sensory-sensitive products, activities, therapies, vitamins, specific brands and types of food, and other supplements. To pay $5,000 for a potty training professional - who is also guaranteeing that your child will become verbal and expressive and make friends, mind you - just feels predatory.

So caveat emptor, let the buyer beware. Your spidey senses should tingle if any product, intervention, therapy or tool makes any of the following claims:

1. To "cure" Autism or reverse Autistic symptoms;

2. To work in all individuals with Autism;

3. That it can replace other evidence-based interventions like speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, physical therapy or others prescribed or delivered by a health care professional;

4. Is a “hidden secret” or “something the doctors don’t want you to know”;

5. Is based on a conspiracy theory;

6. It’s too new and too effective to delay making it available to the public by waiting for clinical trials to be completed

It is important to remember that anyone can go online and say that they are a doctor, start a journal or post a study on the Internet to tout the efficacy of dangerous or useless interventions. Healthcare fraud is a huge business in the US, and parents of children with Autism are often targeted. Fringe treatment providers prey on desperation and fear, and deceive parents with numerous unfounded claims.

Families and caregivers - do not allow these predators to use your zeal to help your Autistic loved one to manipulate you into giving them money for products or strategies that do not work! Always approach these decisions from a place of information, not one of desperation. And remember that YOU are the best expert at how to raise your child. Nobody knows your child better than you do. And no product or tool or supplement can take the place of quality time with your child, which is the best therapy they could ever receive. So when you come across a potential supplement, tool, or strategy, be sure to do your research and consult with your child's medical team should you have any questions or concerns, so that you can make the best decision for your child and your family. I am not saying that all products and supplements are bad. Becca takes some that we have researched and we do believe that they have helped her in various ways. But I will always ignore any product that claims that it can get her to speak within x amount of time, any product that says that it reverses symptoms associated with Autism, or any product that asks you to type in a keyword on a reel on social media to get "exclusive" access to a tool or website. These are all scams, designed to prey on the desperation of parents and other caregivers. Don't drink the Kool-Aid. Becca will speak and be potty trained all in God's timing, and I refuse for her personal challenges to be exploited for someone else's personal gain. Of course, I will continue to support her and make sure that she gets the therapies that she needs and that she has time to rest and be a child and spend time with her family and her friends - because there is also a danger in over-servicing and over-scheduling children. But that is a topic for another day.