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⚠️ Watch out for…

Promises that cost a lot

When a family is desperate, many people show up wanting to take advantage. These are warning signs we learned to recognize.

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They promise to “cure” autismOr say that in a few weeks “it’ll go away”. Autism isn’t cured: it’s accompanied.
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They sell products to “detox”Supplements, extreme diets or solutions like chlorine dioxide (MMS). That product is dangerous and must never be given to a child.
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They ask you to pay many months up frontExpensive “discount” packages that tie you down before you see results.
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They don’t let you watch the sessionsOr explain what they work on or how your child is progressing.
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They ask you to drop your child’s doctor or other therapiesA good professional works as part of a team and doesn’t ask for exclusivity.

Before you pay, ask:

  1. What did the therapist study? Do they have a cédula profesional (Mexico’s professional license)?
  2. What goals will they work on, and how will we measure progress?
  3. Can I be in the sessions or watch them?
  4. How much does it cost in total? Can I pay per session?
  5. What can I do at home to help?

You can look up a cédula profesional for free in the SEP’s (Ministry of Public Education’s) Registro Nacional de Profesionistas, the national registry of licensed professionals.

Treatments with no evidence, or dangerous ones

They’re heavily sold on social media and in parent groups. This is what international medical guidelines and COFEPRIS (Mexico’s health safety regulator) say.

Chlorine dioxide or “MMS”COFEPRIS warns that it doesn’t work for any disease, that no product is registered and that it damages the stomach, heart and kidneys. It must never be given to a child.
Chelation (“removing metals”)Medical guidelines advise against it: it doesn’t help autism and it can be dangerous.
Stem cellsThere is no stem cell treatment authorized for autism in Mexico.
Hyperbaric chamberStudies haven’t shown any benefit.
Gluten-free and casein-free dietIn well-designed studies it doesn’t improve autism. It only makes sense if there’s an allergy or intolerance diagnosed by their doctor.
Devices that “read” or “balance” the bodyLike “bioresonance”: there’s no evidence at all that they work.

Sources: the UK’s NICE guideline, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2020) and the COFEPRIS statement on chlorine dioxide (in Spanish). Before giving any medication or supplement, check with their doctor.

Self-interested referrals and unexplained tests

Sometimes there are financial arrangements between centers and “specialists”: they send you to someone in particular, and that someone orders expensive tests without properly examining your child.

Warning signs

  • They send you to a single specialist, without giving you a choice, and pressure you to go right away.
  • They give a diagnosis or order tests without examining your child, barely looking at them.
  • They can’t explain what a test is for or what it would change in treatment.
  • They order invasive or expensive tests “to find out where it comes from”, and nothing else.
  • They treat you hurriedly or dismissively when you ask questions.

Before agreeing to a test or a medication, ask

  1. What is it for?
  2. What would change in their treatment depending on the result?
  3. What risks or discomfort does it involve for my child?
  4. Is there a less invasive option?
  5. Where can I have it done? (And compare prices.)
⚖️ Careful: not every test is unnecessary. Some do help, like hearing tests, genetic tests or an EEG if seizures are suspected. And although medications don’t “cure” autism, sometimes they help with sleep, intense irritability or anxiety. The difference is that a good specialist examines your child, explains without rushing and answers your questions. You have the right to say no, to think it over and to get a second opinion.

Charges that should set off alarm bells

  • They ask you to pay months in advance or for a “discount” package before starting.
  • They pressure you: “if your child doesn’t start now, they’ll miss their chance”.
  • The same clinic sells you expensive supplements, tests or materials.
  • They repeat expensive evaluations very often, without explaining why.
  • They don’t give you a receipt, a contract or a price in writing.

How to protect yourself

  • Ask for the price per session and pay per session or per month.
  • Get everything in writing: cost, goals and how often they review progress.
  • Check the professional license (cédula profesional) in the Registro Nacional de Profesionistas.
  • Compare with the public and low-cost options in the directory.
  • Ask other families how it went for them. A guide family can point you in the right direction.

What’s next?

Printable materials

Boards, routine schedules, social stories, cards and an ID badge.

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Directory

More than 250 specialists, centers and support services in Nuevo León, Mexico City, Jalisco and Aguascalientes, reviewed one by one.

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Guide families

Families further along the path walk alongside those just starting.

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