Conference Examines the Long Range Financial Implications of Adult Autism

By Morgan MontalvoWOAI News

Autism experts  and advocates from across the country are in San Antonio for a two-day  conference to identify future health care needs for a growing adult  population diagnosed with the condition.The gathering is hosted by the local Autism Treatment Center.

Ivy Zwicker,  the center's director, says as America's population trends  older, a correspondingly larger percentage of today's autistic children  will become tomorrow's autistic adults. She says with attention focused on Autism's childhood phase. the public - and  policymakers - are largely unaware of the continued meed for services  that an aging autism population will require after age 18.

"Now what"?  Zwicker says the community should ask itself. "About 80 percent stay  home after high school. They're underemployed and they're under-funded,  so this is a crisis for us."

Zwicker says  even at current public health care funding levels, autistic adults in  need of transitional quality-of-life services, such as supervised or  assisted living, often are placed on waiting lists for eight to 12 years.

 She says proposed federal and state health care  cuts touted by politicians will severely affect parents of autistic  children and adults, many of whom leave the workforce to become  full-time caregivers.

According to  recently compiled data, an estimated 30,000 people in greater Bexar  County are diagnosed with some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The  per-person lifelong cost of autism-related care and related services, says Zwicker, ranges between $1.4-2.4 million. 

Nationally, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism. she says.    

GRAPHIC COURTESY: TACANOW.ORG


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content