A new study, from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, adds further evidence of the high economic burden of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Its findings suggest that medical costs average six times higher for children with ASD than for those not affected by the disorder.
The analysis, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, compared Medicaid information for 8,398 children diagnosed with autism with that of nearly 1.5 million children without autism for the years 2003 to 2005. It further showed that medical costs vary widely depending on whether a child with autism is also affected by one or more conditions that frequently co-occur with autism. In the study, the most common example was attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which affected nearly a third of the children with ASD. The cost of medical care for a child with both autism and ADHD averaged about 30 percent higher than care for a child with autism alone.
“A number of studies, including this analysis, show that medical expenditures related to caring for children with autism are significantly higher than those for typically developing children,” comments Michael Rosanoff, M.P.H., Autism Speaks associate director of public health research and scientific review. This includes direct medical expenditures for autism-specific treatments as well as healthcare costs for associated medical conditions that are common among individuals with autism, he explains. Other contributors to the overall economic burden include indirect costs such as loss of productivity for family members and adults with autism.
Autism Speaks is funding two new studies to further investigate factors related to the rising economic costs of autism on individuals, their families and society as a whole. One project is updating previous cost estimates in the United States and United Kingdom. Current estimates for the United States, for example, total $35 billion annually and translate to more than $3 million per individual across his or her lifetime. Importantly, this project will look at how early diagnosis and early intervention may reduce lifetime costs by improving long-term outcomes. The second study will look at the costs of autism across different age groups and will project future costs of autism for individuals and society.
Autism Speaks continues to fund research on the costs associated with ASD for several reasons. It will provide a reliable body of evidence that can be used to advocate for improved economic support of individuals with autism and their families. Further, this research will help us better understand the potential economic benefits of early interventions that improve quality of life for those with autism.
You can explore related Autism Speaks-funded studies here. For more news and perspective, please visit our science page.
