Families with autistic children are being warned not to fall for "charlatans" offering fake cures which can end up costing them thousands of dollars.
The roll out the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will hopefully provide parents of autistic children some certainty, one of the things they crave most.
West Australian autism specialist Professor Andrew Whitehouse sheets that sense of uncertainty home to the very nature of autism, which has no clear cause and no magic bullet cure.
"People with autism tend to have characteristic behaviours of social impairment, language difficulties and some repetitive behaviours," Professor Whitehouse says.
"Autism can be managed extremely well and people with it can live long and fulfilling lives. But at the moment there's no evidence for a cure."
With no definitive answers Professor Whitehouse argues families of children with autism are left particularly vulnerable to quackery and claims of cures. The autism researcher has seen some truly bizarre things in his time.
"I have come acrossmilkshakes (to) help cure autism, I have come across collation therapy, where you administer harmful chemicals to the person with autism," he said.
"I have come across bowel bleaching. All of these are not just out there, they are very detrimental for the person with autism."
Sydney's Jason Hameister and Adelaide mother Bec Payne, who have been friends for years and both have autistic children, have both embarked on a quest to find a cure for the condition.
Mr Hameister says when his daughter, Maia, was diagnosed with autism he hit the internet, a common mistake made by parents.
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Bizarre fake autism cures prompts warning to parents over 'charlatans'