'It depends entirely on the nature of those supports': Community perceptions of the appropriateness of early support services for autistic children.

Only 179 of 326 participants from one source project and 74 of 181 from the other were analysed because they wrote an open-ended response. The authors note that people who wrote open-ended responses may have been more supportive of early supports than the full survey samples. The survey format did not allow follow-up questions, so unclear or brief written answers could not be explored further. The two source surveys asked slightly different questions about preschool children or autistic children aged 0 to 12 years, which may have affected responses. Participants were recruited through autism-related social media groups and the authors' networks, many of which promote neurodiversity-affirming views, so the sample may not represent all families or clinicians. Autistic children themselves were not included, so the findings are adult and practitioner perceptions rather than children's own experiences. The sample was 84.9% female, 41.1% European Australian and 40.3% European New Zealand, and 35.2% held an undergraduate degree and 33.6% a postgraduate degree.

H.W. is the Clinic Lead of the Victoria University of Wellington Autism Clinic, and A.J.O.W. is the Director of CliniKids, both of which provide support to young autistic children. The work was funded by Rhylee Sulek's Griffith University Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Do not conclude that the study tested specific services or measured child outcomes. It asked adults whether supports seemed appropriate, so it cannot tell you whether a particular therapy works.