I'm listening to NPR talk about the cost of autism on families. Right now. I'm live blogging this discussion.
The rate of autism in NJ is 1 in 47 for boys.
Dr. David Mandell looked at the expense of autism on families. He looked at the cost of autism on earnings. What happens to the family's earning power when they have a child with autism? The silent cost of autism. Do parents work more to pay for therapy and education or do they have to drop out of the workforce to care for their child? Findings – No difference among fathers. Fathers of autistic children did not work more than other fathers. Women dropped out or cut back on hours to care for their children. Huge impact on family income.
Very difficult to take care of autistic kids. Mothers take on the job of chaffeur to find the right services of kids. Also, have to navigate health care bureaucracy.
A mom calls in. Reports that she has to do all this stuff. Had to quit her job. Has to wait for the school bus and manage the after-school therapy. "Almost forced to be home."
A dad calls in. Too much to do. My wife had to quit her job.
OK. That's it. Now here are the important links:
Mothers of children with autism earned, on average, less than $21,000 a year, the researchers found. That was 56 percent less than mothers whose children had no health limitations and 35 percent less than mothers whose children had other health limitations.
Autism costs soar to $137 billion per year.
UPDATE: Yesterday was autism awareness day. So, there are lots of good links out there. I'm just going to keep adding to this post, rather than starting a new one.
Why do some kids grow out of autism? Because they have super active moms who make sure that their kids get enough services. What about those kids whose mothers aren't able to do all that shuffling and must keeping working?
Apt. 11d 