The Cost of Autism

Autism is a disorder that affects neurological processing in those affected with it. The cost of raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder is higher than you could possibly imagine unless of course like me you have a child on the Spectrum. Money isn't the only expense, time and your nerves are at stake as well.

The lack of education when it comes to Autism is often frustrating. While there have been advances in research they are not enough as the number of caregivers is far less than the number of people with a diagnosis of the disorder. There was once the thought that the cases were hopeless and that an institution was the only solution since there were no treatments available. Virtually nothing is known about the disorder today as far as the cause and there is no cure but there are treatments now that make it possible for a full life to be led by those suffering from an Autistic Disorder.

Therapy Expenses

The road to being a functioning, self sufficient member of society is a long one that can be rather frustrating at times. Therapy takes up a great deal of time and not all of it is covered. Recently speaking with another parent that has a child on the spectrum I realized that Occupational therapy is $60 for a half hour of therapy. I'm fortunate that my child has Medicaid which covers it fully when you find a therapy that takes the scale. Speech sessions are covered at one half hour session per day. ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is not covered at all unless you get financial aid from the facility that you obtain the therapy through. The cost of these sessions is $55 an hour.

One two hour ABA session a week is $110 per week or $440 per month. One half hour session of Occupation Therapy a week comes to $240 at the end of the month. Those two therapies alone are $680 a month if you can not get them covered. The therapies and cost of getting to each one aren't the only expenses that you have.

Doctors Visits, Tests and Supplementation

Children on the Autistic Spectrum that are lucky enough to have a doctor specializing in the range of disorders that make up the spectrum have numerous doctor visits during the year. This means that there are additional costs involved if insurance does not cover all the visits. There are a number of tests that can be done for Autistic children; insurance does not cover them all so you have no choice but to pick and choose which tests you have performed. Your child's doctor can help you in the determination of which tests to have run. The test results will help you with future decisions as well.

There are often a number of supplements given to Autistic children to aid the functioning of their cells. These supplements can be rather costly when you consider that in a single day your child may have at least five of these to take. Some of them have to be replaced every month while others will last for a few months at a time. The months when they all have to be replaced at once are often the hardest for those with a child on the spectrum.

Lack of Understanding

The parents of Autistic children often end up with limited funds after their child is diagnosed. One parent often decides to stay home in order to oversee caring for the child and ensure that therapy sessions are kept. Schedules are important to these children, but not everyone realizes that. Imagine if you went to work each day and had no idea what you were supposed to do from day to day. This would be rather chaotic for you and could leave you feeling frustrated. Children with Autism actually express this frustration in what may not be appropriate ways.

Dealing with Others as the Parent of an Autistic Child

E ven without a diagnosis for their child parents are often bombarded with advice from those that think they know better than they do. It is usually with good intentions although sometimes you think that those giving the advice are intentionally interfering. Sometimes they are just because they are attempting to be offensive or they honestly have no idea that they are being offensive.

What is the total cost of having an Autistic Child?

The total cost of having an Autistic child is far more than the money spent on therapy, supplements and education. The cost extends into time and frustration as everyone attempts to tell you what they believe is best for your child. The frustration can cause caregivers to forget that they need to rest from time to time as well and they can often become so exhausted that they can not continue to maintain the pace that they set for themselves.

When it comes to raising a child with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder there are a number of sacrifices that parents make but their health should not be one of them.