I don't think at the present autism can be "cured", because I have never heard of any case.
Autism appears to be a form of brain damage to a part of the brain which controls
'social interaction' and
'communication'. The onset is usually 16-24 months in most cases.
As such, it is permanent. That brain tissue is not coming back. Autistic people never get better or 100% cured. And because it is affecting brain tissue in different amounts, the sufferers of autism are all different. Some are verbal, some are not, etc. Hence, we talk of a spectrum.
That is why it needs to be treated between the ages of 18 months and 4 years. During these developmental years, other 'nearby' parts of the brain can still be 'trained', 'coaxed' or 'educated' to take over those parts of the brain which control social interaction.
I have seen this entire process occur successfully in real life.
The most critical phase is to get the affected youngster to land in Grade 1 primary school without any obnoxious traits. If they can remain stable in an educational environment unassisted, the prognosis is excellent as they copy the behaviours and social behaviours of other students.
Although the main attributes of Autism will be less visible, if you spend time with these teenagers or adults, you will 'sense' it over time.
People who appear autistic in my experience as Adults.
- Elon Musk
- Bill Gates
- Joe Bonamassa
- Sir Isaac Newton
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
They have notable stories which only make sense if they were Autistic savants.
Mozart, in 1770 at the age of 14, went to Rome, and heard the private singing of
Allegri Misere, a song that was unpublished under the threat of excommunication by Pope Clement XIV at the time. Mozart listened to it once, and later transcribed it in it's entirety from memory.
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart/guides/mozart-allegri-miserere/Before you watch this, imagine if someone asked you to later write it down as a musical score. Your brain would have to function on another level to achieve this.
Wolfgang Mozart
Allegri Misererehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XdPaK5GIC8Allegri Original Soundhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6hD8YtO5HIDespite their incredible intelligence and success, savants usually present in other areas as severely under developed.
Elon Musk Dancinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0sJJU3FaOQIt's like a 3 year old dancing.