I have worked with autistic people for the past 25 years and the best therapeutic intervention that I have seen come down the pike is facilitated communication (FC). It's a very simple method to use and doesn't require alot of resources to get a good FC program up and running in any setting. Though most people who have used the method swear that the clients are initiating the communication, validation of the communication is mixed. So the method's communication functions for needs has to be limited to small life choices until we know more about the dynamics of FC. But for getting to know the person with autism and the therapeutic effects of the touch, attention and positive regard, nothing comes close to matching this intervention. Feel free to email me for more information.