Facts About Autism

• As many as 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorders.
• This is as many as 1:98 boys.
• Speech, occupational, physical and other intensive therapy interventions are the only known treatments for autism related disorders.
• Medical professionals recommend a minimum of 20-30 hours of intensive therapy interventions per week for the treatment of autism.
• The cost of providing 20-30 hours per week of intensive therapy interventions in the Spokane region is between $30,000-$80,000 per year.
• Most Washington State medical  insurance plans exclude coverage for therapy services for autism related disorders because there is no known cure.
• Less than 4% of autistic children receive the recommended 20-30 hours of therapy intervention services.
• A family with a child with autism will fund 3 to 5 million dollars of services throughout the lifetime of the child.
• Cost of lifelong care for an individual affected by autism can be reduced by 2/3rds with early intervention services.
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of most of the more prevalent childhood disorders.
• Almost 1.5 million people in the United States alone are affected by the disorder.
• Autism affects more individuals than type 1 diabetes, childhood cancer, pediatric AIDS and down syndrome combined.
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the Unites States.
• Autism often goes undiagnosed.
• No one knows the cause of autism.

Incidence vs. Private Funding (2007)