Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the health expenses incurred by families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those expenses' relation to total household income and expenditures.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, health care expenditure data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Expenses included annual costs for clinic visits, medication, behavioral therapy, transportation, and accommodations. Health care costs as a percentage of total household income and expenditures were also determined. The participants included 290 families with ASD children who were treated at the Children Development and Behavior Research Center, Harbin Medical University, China.ResultsFamilies with ASD children from urban and rural areas had higher per-capita household expenditures by 60.8% and 74.7%, respectively, compared with provincial statistics for 2007. Behavioral therapy accounted for the largest proportion of health expenses (54.3%) for ASD children. In 19.9% of urban and 38.2% of rural families, health care costs exceeded the total annual household income. Most families (89.3% of urban families; 88.1% of rural families) in that province reported higher health care expenditures than the provincial household average.ConclusionFor families with ASD children, the economic burden of health care is substantially higher than the provincial average.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to determine the health expenses incurred by families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those expenses’ relation to total household income and expenditures
This study is the first of this kind in China to examine the economic burden of ASD on families
Our findings shed some light on the circumstances faced by families with ASD children
Summary
The aim of this study was to determine the health expenses incurred by families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those expenses’ relation to total household income and expenditures. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by pervasive deficits in socialization and communication, as well as unusual behaviors or interests [1]. Children with autism can present a broad range of clinical features including qualitative developmental and neurological abnormalities, as well as sensory/motor symptoms, epilepsy, cognitive dysfunction, severe impairments in adaptive behavior, and aberrant regulation of emotion [1,2]. ASD include autism, Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). A lack of nationwide epidemiologic data on ASD persists in China. It has since been estimated that there are about 7.8 million individuals with ASD in China, with more affected boys than girls [7]
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