Intensive, appropriate early intervention greatly improves the outcome for most young children with autism. Most programs will build on the interests of the child in a highly structured schedule of constructive activities. Visual aids are often helpful.

Treatment is most successful when geared toward the individual's particular needs. An experienced specialist or team should design the individualized program. A variety of effective therapies are available, including applied behavior analysis, medications, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, sensory integration, speech/language therapy and vision therapy.

One very successful educational program is called the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH).

Beware that there are some widely publicized treatments for autism which do not have scientific support; there are often reports of "miracle cures" which do not live up to expectations when attempted. If your child has this condition, it may be helpful to talk with other parents of autistic children and with autism specialists and also to follow the progress of research in this area, which is rapidly developing.

Autism remains a challenging condition for individuals and their families, but the prognosis today is much better than it was a generation ago. At that time, most people with autism were placed in institutions. Today, with appropriate therapy, many of the symptoms of autism can be improved, though most people will have some symptoms throughout their lives. Most people with autism are able to live with their families or in the community.

Autism varies from quite mild to quite severe. The prognosis for individuals depends on the degree of their disabilities and on the level of therapy they receive.

Autism can be associated with other disorders that affect the functioning of the brain, such as tuberous sclerosis, mental retardation, or fragile X syndrome. Up to 30% of people with autism will develop seizures.

The stresses that autism places on individuals and their families can also lead to social and psychological complications for all involved. However, some autistic individuals have spectacular talents in particular areas ("autistic savants") such as art or mathematics.