Childhood Autism Linked To Substantial Loss Of Household Income

Main Category: Autism
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 08 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PST

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Families of children with autism incur substantial out-of-pocket costs for educational, behavioral and health care services. A new study in the journal Pediatrics found autism also has an impact on the income side of the family economy.

The study, "Association of Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders and Loss of Family Income," drew on the results of a 2005 national survey of 11,684 households with children enrolled in kindergarten to eighth grade. The sample included 131 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 2,775 children with other disabilities. Researchers found both having a child with ASD and having a child with other disabilities were associated with lower household income regardless of parental education, family structure, parental age, rural or urban location or minority ethnicity.

The average loss of annual income associated with having a child with ASD was $6,200 or 14 percent of a family's annual reported income. The authors speculate the most likely explanation is that parents of a child with ASD make different working choices, such as working part-time, because of the needs associated with autism and the lack of community-based resources.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

American Academy of Pediatrics