The 2023 Autism CRC Guidelines for ASD Therapy and Support

In 2023, Australia released significant updates to its national guidelines for supporting autistic children and their families, with a strong focus on treatment and intervention. The new guidelines, led by Autism CRC, represent the first national, evidence-based framework in Australia that specifically addresses therapy and intervention choices for autistic children.

Key features of the 2023 ASD treatment guidelines:

• Evidence-Based, Individualised Care: (UWA).
• Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice:  (Autism CRC).
• Scope of Interventions: The guidelines cover a broad range of interventions (Autism CRC).

Attention deficits in ASD

One of the most common behaviour of children with Autism, is their lack of focus, joint attention, concentration and compliance.  These attention deficits are usually treated with stimulant medication and help some children with ASD concentrate as part of a multimodal program that include cognitive, behavioural  strategies, EIBI, parental education, and if necessary dietary  and lifestyle recommendations.

The Australian clinical guidelines for ADHD we do not recommend neurofeedback as a stand alone or first line treatment for attention deficits in ASD. The guidelines state that neurofeedback shows some potential but that there are gaps in the research that prevent it from being recommended as first line treatment. 

 QEEG brain maps of children with ASD show each is unique

Every child is unique, and so are the brain differences. These differences show up as changes in the brain’s electrical activity, and correspond to how a child acts or behaves.

Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) that can help us see these differences. It’s quick ad non-invasive. Basically, it compares someone brainwaves to brainwaves from others without issues who are the same age (from as young as 3 up to 79 years old).

The results are shown in colourful pictures called brain maps. QEEG is different from the EEG that a neurologist might do to check for epilepsy (a seizure disorder). Our brains make brainwaves at different frequencies called Hertz (Hz). All these brainwaves are present all the time, but when some are much stronger or weaker than normal in certain parts of the brain, it can be linked to behaviours that seem unusual or different.

 

• Delta waves (1-4 Hz) 
• Theta waves (4-8 Hz)
• Alpha waves (8-13 Hz) 
• Beta waves (13-21 Hz) 
• High Beta (21-30 Hz) 

The graph on the left shows that for each type of brainwave, there’s a certain power level that works best. Children with autism often share similar aspects their brains work, but every child is different.

That’s why clinicians don’t try to find one single brain pattern that means “autism.” There isn’t one. Instead, they look for certain features in brain maps that have been linked to specific behaviours. There are thousands of studies correlating too much or too little brainwave activity in different brain areas to issues like trouble paying attention, learning problems, language delays, feeling sad, feeling anxious, OCD, ODD, and other behavioural issues.

The brain maps below show how a child’s brain activity is different from typical. Grey and the colours on either side on the scales mean that the brain activity is typical. Cooler blue colours show less activity than normal, and warmer red colours show more activity than normal. We’re keeping things simple here and only showing power levels for groups of brainwaves. In  practice,  clinicians also look at single brainwaves, how different parts of the brain work together, and how the left and right or front and back of the brain compare. All this helps us understand how the brain is working. The first brain map shows a child without any disorders, and the next four maps show how different the brains of children with autism can look.

The maps can help clinicians correlate which patterns are associated with behaviours and help target specific patterns with the appropriate therapy, thereby attempting to influence the behaviour. QEEG and can also be used to measure effectiveness of therapy or other intervention over time. 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantitative EEG (QEEG) is valuable for correlating brain electrical activity with behaviours in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because it objectively maps atypical patterns of brain function that are associated with specific behavioural symptoms. QEEG provides detailed information about the distribution and synchronisation of electrical activity in the brain, revealing functional differences between individuals with ASD and typically developing controls. These neurophysiological markers can be linked to behavioural areas such as social communication and repetitive actions, deepening our understanding of how brain activity connects to core ASD features (Billeci et al., 2013; Pop-Jordanova et al., 2010; Milovanovic & Grujicic, 2021).

Recent studies further support QEEG’s utility in identifying unique brainwave patterns in children with ASD, providing objective data that can help guide both diagnosis and intervention strategies (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025; MDPI, 2024; PMC, 2024). By offering a non-invasive and quantifiable approach, QEEG bridges the gap between observable behaviours and underlying neural mechanisms in ASD.

Updated on:  20/02/2026 by: Dr. Jacques Duff – BA Psych; Grad Dip Psych; PhD; MAPS; MECNS; MAAAPB; MISNR; FANSA
Reviewed on: 24/02/2026 by: Bernard Ferriere - BA; Grad Dip App Psych; Dip Clinical Hypnosis; FCCP; MAPS; MASH; Clinical Psychologist