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The facts are staggering.
Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the
United States according to the U. S. Department of Education's
"Twenty-First annual Report to Congress on the Implementation
of the Individuals with Disabilities Act," in 1999. That year, the
U.S. population increased 13%, the Disabilities increase was
16%, the Autism increase was 172%
A minimum of 27,437 babies born a year in the US will have
autism (1 out of every 150 of the 4,115,590 born in 2004, U.S
Department of Health)
1 to 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with autism.
Many of these do not receive service assistance of any kind,
while remaining in dire need. This figure is based on the autism
prevalence rate of 2 to 6 per 1,000 (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2001) and 2000 U.S. Census figure of 280
million Americans.
There are 8,700 families with autism on wait lists for services in
Colorado alone.
The majority of children growing up with autism do not have a
solid family support network. The divorce rate among parent of
children with autism is 83%, due to the sustained financial and
emotional stress.
reported the cost of treating adults with autism was 90 billion
dollars per year. Predictions which are based on scientific
calculations put the cost of treating adults with autism at 200-400
billion dollars by the year 2013 (ASA, Feburary 2003).
Early child intervention and diagnosis can lower the costs of
treating a person with autism by two thirds (the Jabrink and
Knapp London School of Economic study in 2001). With proper
and effective early intervention, there could be an annual savings
of approximately 60 billion dollars.
Although a person has more of a chance of an autism diagnosis
than diabetes and cancer combined, autism still receives less
than 5% of government health funding for early intervention and
therapy.
United States according to the U. S. Department of Education's
"Twenty-First annual Report to Congress on the Implementation
of the Individuals with Disabilities Act," in 1999. That year, the
U.S. population increased 13%, the Disabilities increase was
16%, the Autism increase was 172%
A minimum of 27,437 babies born a year in the US will have
autism (1 out of every 150 of the 4,115,590 born in 2004, U.S
Department of Health)
1 to 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with autism.
Many of these do not receive service assistance of any kind,
while remaining in dire need. This figure is based on the autism
prevalence rate of 2 to 6 per 1,000 (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2001) and 2000 U.S. Census figure of 280
million Americans.
There are 8,700 families with autism on wait lists for services in
Colorado alone.
The majority of children growing up with autism do not have a
solid family support network. The divorce rate among parent of
children with autism is 83%, due to the sustained financial and
emotional stress.
reported the cost of treating adults with autism was 90 billion
dollars per year. Predictions which are based on scientific
calculations put the cost of treating adults with autism at 200-400
billion dollars by the year 2013 (ASA, Feburary 2003).
Early child intervention and diagnosis can lower the costs of
treating a person with autism by two thirds (the Jabrink and
Knapp London School of Economic study in 2001). With proper
and effective early intervention, there could be an annual savings
of approximately 60 billion dollars.
Although a person has more of a chance of an autism diagnosis
than diabetes and cancer combined, autism still receives less
than 5% of government health funding for early intervention and
therapy.
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