The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Objective: A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorders is usually associated with substantial lifetime costs to an individual, their family and the community. However, there remains an elusive factor in any cost-benefit analysis of ASD diagnosis, namely the cost of not obtaining a diagnosis. Given t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Public Library of Science
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/39473 |
| _version_ | 1848755600495738880 |
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| author | Horlin, Chiara Falkmer, Marita Parsons, Richard Albrecht, Matthew Falkmer, Torbjorn |
| author_facet | Horlin, Chiara Falkmer, Marita Parsons, Richard Albrecht, Matthew Falkmer, Torbjorn |
| author_sort | Horlin, Chiara |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Objective: A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorders is usually associated with substantial lifetime costs to an individual, their family and the community. However, there remains an elusive factor in any cost-benefit analysis of ASD diagnosis, namely the cost of not obtaining a diagnosis. Given the infeasibility of estimating the costs of a population that, by its nature, is inaccessible, the current study compares expenses between families whose children received a formal ASD diagnosis immediately upon suspecting developmental atypicality and seeking advice, with families that experienced a delay between first suspicion and formal diagnosis. Design: A register based questionnaire study covering all families with a child with ASD in Western Australia. Participants: Families with one or more children diagnosed with an ASD, totalling 521 children diagnosed with an ASD; 317 records were able to be included in the final analysis.Results: The median family cost of ASD was estimated to be AUD $34,900 per annum with almost 90% of the sum ($29,200) due to loss of income from employment. For each additional symptom reported, approximately $1,400 cost for the family per annum was added. While there was little direct influence on costs associated with a delay in the diagnosis, the delay was associated with a modest increase in the number of ASD symptoms, indirectly impacting the cost of ASD. Conclusions: A delay in diagnosis was associated with an indirect increased financial burden to families. Early and appropriate access to early intervention is known to improve a child's long-term outcomes and reduce lifetime costs to the individual, family and society. Consequently, a per symptom dollar value may assist in allocation of individualised funding amounts for interventions rather than a nominal amount allocated to all children below a certain age, regardless of symptom presentation, as is the case in Western Australia. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:58:53Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-39473 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:58:53Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-394732017-09-13T14:24:48Z The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders Horlin, Chiara Falkmer, Marita Parsons, Richard Albrecht, Matthew Falkmer, Torbjorn Objective: A diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorders is usually associated with substantial lifetime costs to an individual, their family and the community. However, there remains an elusive factor in any cost-benefit analysis of ASD diagnosis, namely the cost of not obtaining a diagnosis. Given the infeasibility of estimating the costs of a population that, by its nature, is inaccessible, the current study compares expenses between families whose children received a formal ASD diagnosis immediately upon suspecting developmental atypicality and seeking advice, with families that experienced a delay between first suspicion and formal diagnosis. Design: A register based questionnaire study covering all families with a child with ASD in Western Australia. Participants: Families with one or more children diagnosed with an ASD, totalling 521 children diagnosed with an ASD; 317 records were able to be included in the final analysis.Results: The median family cost of ASD was estimated to be AUD $34,900 per annum with almost 90% of the sum ($29,200) due to loss of income from employment. For each additional symptom reported, approximately $1,400 cost for the family per annum was added. While there was little direct influence on costs associated with a delay in the diagnosis, the delay was associated with a modest increase in the number of ASD symptoms, indirectly impacting the cost of ASD. Conclusions: A delay in diagnosis was associated with an indirect increased financial burden to families. Early and appropriate access to early intervention is known to improve a child's long-term outcomes and reduce lifetime costs to the individual, family and society. Consequently, a per symptom dollar value may assist in allocation of individualised funding amounts for interventions rather than a nominal amount allocated to all children below a certain age, regardless of symptom presentation, as is the case in Western Australia. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/39473 10.1371/journal.pone.0106552 Public Library of Science fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Horlin, Chiara Falkmer, Marita Parsons, Richard Albrecht, Matthew Falkmer, Torbjorn The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title | The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title_full | The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title_fullStr | The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title_short | The Cost of Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| title_sort | cost of autism spectrum disorders |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/39473 |