Son-Rise Program and Autism Ranking:

Future Research

Summary of Existing Research

There is almost no research (one very small controlled study) to suggest that the Son-Rise Program is an effective intervention for autistic children and young people.

This lack of evidence does not prove or disprove the effectiveness of the Son-Rise program for autistic children. It may simply show that no research has been conducted to date.

We believe that some elements of the approach (such as the emphasis on following the child’s own interests, joint attention and reciprocal interaction with parents) may be beneficial to some autistic children and young people.

There are numerous positive anecdotal reports from people who have used the Son-Rise program for autistic children.

Recommendations for Future Research

Future research should

• be considerably more robust in terms of numbers and methodology used
• compare the Son-Rise program with other educational interventions which are commonly used to help autistic children and young people
• investigate whether the program is likely to be more effective for specific groups on the autism spectrum (such as female children or children with a verbal IQ of less than 70 or children from a minority ethnic group)
• investigate which, if any, of the components of the program are more effective  than the others (such as following the child’s lead versus a distraction free environment)
• investigate whether the program is more effective when delivered by parents or therapists or both
• investigate whether the program provides any long term benefits in real world settings (such as in the children’s own home)
• investigate treatment fidelity (how closely the therapists did what they were supposed to do)
• investigate the effects on family life and the emotional development of the children

Updated

16 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Oct 2016

Next Review

01 Mar 2023