Raising money for research into autism spectrum disorders
YOU ARE READING ABOUT: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
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THE IMPACT OF AUTISM
While many people with autism and their families will cope well with the additional challenges autism brings, the emotional impact of autism is often difficult and sometimes devastating for people with autism and the families of those affected.
In the case of high-functioning people with autism, levels of mental health problems and depression are high as individuals struggle to cope in everyday society. Whilst many people argue that people with autism should be regarded simply as different rather than 'disordered', there is no doubt of the very real distress that autism can cause.
For the individual with autism, the world can be a confusing and lonely place, where everyone except them understands the rules of appropriate behaviour.
People with low functioning autism may have no speech and complex special needs and may need full-time care.
Research by the National Autistic Society shows:
4 out of 10 children have no friends
4 out of 10 children are bullied at school
A quarter of children with autism are excluded from school
Only 6% of people with autism are able to achieve full-time employment
For the family of an autistic child life is often stressful. Parents and siblings usually have to cope with unyielding challenging behaviour and possibly sleep deprivation, as many children with autism do not sleep for long periods of time.
Because children and adults with autism find it difficult to manage in social situations, many families become isolated.
Added to this, is the difficult and lengthy processes to obtain from local authorities the special education to which children with autism are entitled.
Many parents with autistic children believe that they will be primary carer for life and are often very concerned about what will happen to their child when they die.
The stresses to family life can lead to relationship breakdowns, divorce and, in extreme circumstances, suicide.
Just under half of parents of children with autism experience mental distress.
The economic impact of autism is beginning to be realised. 1
Each year, autism costs families and public services some £28 billion in the UK. Of this:
£15 billion provides services for adults
£9.2 billion is the cost of lost employment
£2.7billion is the cost of supporting children with autism in their education
The remaining costs are the additional family expenses.
Of the medical conditions so far researched, autism appears to have the highest cost to the country.
The average additional lifetime costs for living support and education for someone with low functioning autism is £4.7m
The average additional lifetime costs for living support and education for someone with high functioning autism is £2.9m
1 Taken from "The Economic Consequences of Autism" by Martin Knapp, Renee Romeo, Jennifer Beecham