Brief Report: Forecasting the Economic Burden of Autism in 2015 and 2025 in the United States

Abstract

Few US estimates of the economic burden of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are available and none provide estimates for 2015 and 2025. We forecast annual direct medical, direct non-medical, and productivity costs combined will be $268 billion (range $162-$367 billion; 0.884-2.009 % of GDP) for 2015 and $461 billion (range $276-$1011 billion; 0.982-3.600 % of GDP) for 2025. These 2015 figures are on a par with recent estimates for diabetes and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and exceed the costs of stroke and hypertension. If the prevalence of ASD continues to grow as it has in recent years, ASD costs will likely far exceed those of diabetes and ADHD by 2025.

Design and Cohort Characteristics of the Social Spectrum Study: A Multicenter Study of the Autism Spectrum Among Clinically Referred Children

“…This could offer insights into how treatment can be tailored to the needs of families in order to improve treatment outcomes. At the societal level, a better understanding of the broader social and economic consequences of having a child with ASD in terms of employment, health care use, and costs is important for the planning of resources (Kogan et al 2008; Buescher et al 2014; Leigh and Du 2015). …”

Metabolomics of autism spectrum disorders: early insights regarding mammalian-microbial cometabolites

“…Moreover, the worldwide increasing incidence in ASD is due to a variety of increased environmental exposures, including those that affect the microbiome. Recently, it was estimated the economic burden of autism in 2015 and 2025 [11] by using the cost-of-illness methodology [12] and tacking into account three factors: the number of persons with ASD; expenditures on medical care and nonmedical care; and lost in productivity for parents and persons with ASD. Based on a sensitivity analysis considering five scenarios with alternative assumptions, the corresponding estimates range from U.S. $161.6 billion to $367.3 billion in 2015 and from U.S. $275.6 billion to $1,010.6 billion in 2025.…”

The Etiological Role of Microglia in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Possible Route for Early Intervention

“…ASD takes a heavy toll on the people it affects, their families and the society that supports them. By the year 2025, it is projected that the annual financial burden of ASD will rise to 461 billion dollars (Leigh and Du, 2015). Therapeutic options are currently limited and relatively ineffective.…”