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