The encouraging thing about autism is that is can be manageable with a lot of flexibility, and more programs are beginning to accommodate it, although costs for the most effective programs are still hard to reach and other programs tend to not receive enough funding for full efficacy for individuals with autism. The first thing you need to do in order to manage autism is to understand what autism does. The purpose of managing autism is to increase general peace and lessen distress within a household as well as to help the autistic individual eventually live a life of relative independence. The latter is not always possible with the lowest functioning autistic individuals, but it is still a goal.

The best treatment is that which is tailored specifically to the child. For instance, if the autistic child is prone to preferring routine and gets upset when that routine is disturbed, a family managing the child can arrange activities over the course of a week so that the child's life is full as well as routinely structured as the child needs. An early diagnosis is vital to allow for early intervention, which can provide an autistic child or the family tools to help the child function within a stereotypal lifestyle. Primarily, individualized educational care by people familiar with autism and behavior therapy are invaluable to early intervention techniques. Some of the models provided for autistic children includes occupational therapy, structured teaching, speech and language therapy, applied behavioral analysis, and social skills therapy.

There are some medications that help child with autism, although they have mixed results from individual to individual. Almost half of the children diagnosed with autism are medicated with psychoactive drugs or anticonvulsant's - stimulants, antidepressant's, and antipsychotics are also common for those with an autism diagnosis. Unfortunately, there is not enough data to confirm that any medication beyond antipsychotics are adequate for autism itself (rather than just treating the symptoms), especially since autistic individuals are atypical and can respond adversely or unusually to medication. And there is no known medication that treats social and communication issues specifically, so behavior or social skills therapy as well as speech and language therapy are usually the only way to manage social and communication issues for individuals with autism. Alternative medicine is a popular option, but not one supported by scientific studies, which tend to show that alternative medicine usually neither hurts nor helps. In some cases, though, alternative medicine treatments like casein-free diets and chelation therapy have had adverse effects upon autistic children.

Once the autistic individual leaves childhood, he or she can either function to some degree in society or may need additional treatment tailored to adults with autism. These management programs include residential care, general life planning in the areas of social occasions, sexuality, and living on one's own, and specialized job training and sometimes even job placement.

Autistic individuals can find their place within the world by understanding the symptoms of autism and addressing them through a combination of therapy and sometimes medication.