AUTHERAPIES Project - Policy brief

AUTHERAPIES Project Policy Brief: Empower evidence-based choice of autism interventions across Europe

AUTHERAPIES is an ERASMUS+ funded project with the aim of critically examining, improving, and promoting therapies for people on the Autism Spectrum.

The project was led by Fundació Villablanca (Spain) and implemented with 4 other organisations:

  • European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR) (Belgium)
  • The Association of Educational Programmes OpenEurope (Spain)
  • Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Italy)
  • Medical University of Silesia (Poland)

The Autherapies Policy Brief highlights persistent policy gaps in how autism interventions are regulated, accessed, and understood across the EU.

Despite growing recognition of the rights of autistic persons, the brief finds that many EU Member States lack legally binding frameworks that ensure access to reliable information on validated interventions or protect families and professionals from the proliferation of pseudo-therapies. It also notes that mandatory training on evidence-based practices remains limited, especially outside the healthcare sector, and that disparities between regions create unequal opportunities for informed decision-making.

To address these gaps, the brief proposes coordinated action at EU, national and local levels. Key recommendations include harmonising EU guidance on autism interventions, funding public awareness campaigns, and establishing a multilingual EU platform on evidence-based therapies. National authorities are encouraged to adopt supported decision-making frameworks, regulate therapeutic advertising, and mandate cross-sectoral training for professionals. At the local level, inclusive service delivery and collaboration with autistic-led organisations are highlighted as essential for effective implementation.

The Autherapies project stands ready to support these efforts through its open database of evidence-based interventions and a comprehensive training course designed to empower autistic persons, families and professionals throughout Europe.

Read the full Policy Brief in English here: https://autherapies.eu/docs/policy_en.pdf