The most scientifically validated treatment for Autism today is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This intervention is labor intensive and has a national annual average cost of $50,000 per child.

The National Research Council, in a landmark 2001 publication (NRC Study), recommended early diagnosis prior to the age of three and intensive intervention for best outcomes. Services should include a minimum of 25 hours a week, 12 months a year administered by highly trained staff, with one-to-one and very small group instruction in which the child is engaged in systematically planned, developmentally appropriate educational activity toward identified objectives.