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FACTS About Autism

• Autism is a complex neurological medical condition that typically appears in the first three years of life.
  • It impacts social interaction and communication skills
  • Symptoms can be mild to severe
  • Persons with autism may experience leaps of progress or serious regression
  • Prevalence is 1% of ALL children, 1 in 70 boys, based on 2006 CDC data. DOH estimates  8,138 to 11,894 children and youth in Washington State.
  • 7,706 children were served in Washington schools through Nov.  2009, 6.18% of ALL students with disabilities statewide. OSPI number does not include children who are home schooled or in private schools.

• 90% of all children with disabilities in crisis and at eminent risk of out of home placement have autism.
• Autism costs DSHS/DDD over $60 million per year, a figure expected to double over the next decade.
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

• All insurance carriers doing business in WA list treatments recommended by the national standards as specific policy exclusions for patients with autism, not covered even if they are deemed medically necessary. 

• Autism is not a qualifying diagnosis for children under 6 years old by the WA Division of Developmental Disabilities

• Average cost of effective treatment can run up to $50,000 per year depending on the severity of the impact of Autism on the child. Families often lose jobs due to the burdens of tending to children with Autism, adding to the burden on the state expenditure on welfare

• The divorce rate in families of children with Autism is over 85%

• According to a Harvard Study the cost of 1 person with autism who goes untreated is $3.2 over their lifetime.

• 800 new children with autism were served in WA public schools in 2009, if left untreated they will cost the state of WA an additional $2.56 billion. Right now the burden is on WA families, schools and the state for a medical condition that deserves treatment.

Incidence vs. Private Funding

• Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million
• Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million
• Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million
• Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million
• Autism: Affects 1 in 110 / Funding: $79 million

National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation

• Total 2008 NIH budget: $30 billion
• Of this, only $118 million goes directly to autism research. This represents 0.3% of total NIH funding.