Fighting autism epidemic will pay off

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Aiding kids with disorder now costs less than caring for them as adults
Barry Stern

Autism spectrum disorders are the nation's fastest-growing developmental disabilities. These disorders include obsessive behaviors, limited social skills and communications deficits. Despite a 10-fold increase since 1990, our state and federal officials act as if this "epidemic" poses no threat to our well-being and domestic tranquility.

Yet the growth of autism, if unchecked, poses a serious risk to the economy. With appropriate interventions, a child with autism has a 1 in 2 chance of recovering. Without them, their chances are slim to none.

Those who fail to recover will be dependent the rest of their lives, each one costing taxpayers $1 million to $2 million for their care. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 120,000 to 360,000 U.S. children 14 and under are autistic. America will have to spend billions of dollars while they are young to save hundreds of billions of dollars for their care as they age.

Read article at: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/OPINION01/607130315/1008

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com