Cost of autism
Autism
[2002] Autism affects children
throughout the world and of every racial, ethnic and socioeconomic background. It is
estimated that there are nearly 400,000 people in the U.S. with some form of autism. The
social, emotional and financial costs of autism to affected individuals, their families
and to state and federal agencies are daunting. Although there is a lack of data on the
economic costs to society of autism, the cost of a residential school or institution, such
as a developmental center, is approximately $80,000 to $100,000 or more per individual per
year and the cost of appropriate educational programs for school-age children with autism
is often $30,000 per year or more. A sample calculation done by the late Dr. Roland
Ciranello estimated the cost of autism in the U.S. alone to be at least $12 billion per
year. The costs in human dignity and self-worth are incalculable.
http://www.naar.org/autism.htm
As many as one in 175 primary school children may suffer from autism, 11 times
higher than previous estimates. The findings mean that the cost of education and care of
sufferers could be £5 billion a year, but researchers said their figures were an
underestimate, if anything. Dr Fiona Scott, a research co-coordinator at the Autism
Research http://www.y2khealthanddetox.com/newsletterII-1.html
For a person with autism and additional learning disability the average lifetime
costs was £2.94 million.--report