How we write and check our guides

Who we write for

Parents and carers of autistic children in the UK, including families who are still waiting for an assessment. We write in plain English, explain every term the first time we use it, and start each guide with a short answer, so a tired parent can get what they need quickly. We also write guides for the nursery and school staff who work with autistic children, which parents can share with their child's setting.

Where our information comes from

For each fact we use the most reliable source we can find, roughly in this order:

1. UK law and official guidance, such as GOV.UK, legislation and the SEND codes of practice for each nation.
2. NICE guidelines and NHS information.
3. UK professional bodies, such as the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
4. Systematic reviews and trials published in research journals.
5. UK charities with expert information, such as the National Autistic Society, Contact and IPSEA.

We link each fact to its source and list every source at the end of the guide. We don't use forums, sites selling treatments or therapy providers' marketing as evidence.

How we show how strong the evidence is

When a guide describes an approach, an Evidence check box says plainly how strong the research is and what it rests on: for example, whether the studies were large or small, whether results came from parents' own reports, and whether anyone has tested it at all. If an approach has little evidence but is low-risk and sensible, we say so. If an approach could cause harm, we say that clearly too.

How we use AI tools

We use AI tools to help us research topics, draft guides and check them. AI tools can get things wrong, so we have rules:

• Every link in a guide must point to a source we have already looked at. Our publishing checks block any other link.
• Each guide is checked against its sources before it goes live, and again when it is updated.
• A person decides what we publish, and we are responsible for every word.

Each guide says that it was drafted with the help of AI tools, in its “How this guide was made” box.

Professional review

We are recruiting speech and language therapists, clinical psychologists, paediatricians, occupational therapists, teachers, SEND and welfare rights advisers, parents and autistic adults to review our guides, each in their own field. Until a guide has been reviewed, it says so at the top of the page and in its “How this guide was made” box. Once it has been reviewed, the guide shows the reviewer's name, role and the date they checked it.

Keeping guides up to date

Every guide shows the date it was last updated and when its next review is due, no more than 12 months later. We update sooner when the law, NHS guidance or the research changes. Phone numbers and opening hours on our where to get help page show the date we last checked them.

The words we use

• We write “autistic child”. Many autistic adults prefer this identity-first language, though a UK survey of 3,470 people found no single term that everyone accepts (Kenny and colleagues, 2016). We respect families who use other words.
• We describe autism as a difference and a disability, not a disease. We don't use “suffers from”, “cure”, “high-functioning” or “low-functioning”.
• We never set a goal of making a child look less autistic, stopping harmless stims, forcing eye contact or making a child comply. We treat distress as communication, not naughtiness.
• We don't blame parents.

Health, legal and money information

Our guides give general information, not advice about your child. We never recommend medicines, doses or brands, and we never suggest a diagnosis. Where there could be a risk, a Get help now box says who to contact. For decisions about your own child, talk to your GP, health visitor, school or a specialist adviser such as your local SENDIASS.

Our guides and our app

We also make Pebble by Rocks Make Pebbles, a free app. The guides are written to be useful without it. Pebble only appears in a separate box headed “Where our app, Pebble, fits”, never in the advice itself, and we never say that Pebble treats, diagnoses or changes autism. Read the research behind Pebble.

Money and advertising

We don't take advertising, sponsored content or affiliate commissions, and no one can pay to be mentioned in a guide or on our where to get help page.

Mistakes and corrections

If you spot a mistake, email support@rocksmakepebbles.co.uk and tell us which guide and what is wrong. We fix mistakes quickly, update the guide's date, and list significant corrections on our corrections page.