From the Chicago Tribune and U.S. News & World Report:

A national Easter Seals survey reveals that children with autism are struggling to enter mainstream adulthood, and their families are experiencing significant financial strain and anxiety about the future.

Fifty-two percent of parents raising children with autism believe that money spent on the treatment and care of their child will drain their future finances, and three quarters of parents of children with autism worry their child won’t ever get a job or won’t have enough money to get by after the parents die.

Only 39 percent of parents reported that their insurance regularly covers the services they need, and 32 percent say insurance either rarely or never helps out. More than 80 percent of adults with autism under 30 still live at home.

Parents say the data points up the massive challenges the country will face as this tsunami of children with autism approaches adulthood. “Eventually we’re going to get hit with a lot of young adults who are going to have nowhere to go,” said one mother.

From Easter Seals, a summary of the report.

Report highlights from the Chicago Tribune.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 12:26 pm and is filed under autism, employment/jobs, families, independent living, therapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.