The facts
Children and families
- Autism now affects approximately one in 100 children. There are around 100,000 children with autism in the UK, with around half a million family members directly affected by the condition.1
- Four times as many boys as girls have autism and its prevalence is far higher than other disorders such as Down’s Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy.2
- Many families with autism live in poverty as it costs on average three times more to raise a child with a severe impairment than a non-disabled child.3
- An estimated figure commonly recognized within the autism community is that as many as 80% of partnerships where there is a child with autism will break down.
Impact
- Only 11% of carers who have children with autism work full time, and 70% cite the lack of appropriate care facilities as their major barrier to working.4
- In schools identified as having pupils with autism, only 22% of teachers have received autism-specific training – the majority of training given is typically one to four hours.5
- The most recent survey found only 7,500 specialist places for over 90,000 children with autism in the UK.6
- One in five children with autism have been excluded from school, the majority of those on more than one occasion.7
- Over 40% of children with autism have been bullied at school.8
Costs
- A 2000 estimate, based on conservative prevalence rates, is that autism currently costs the UK economy at least £1billion each year, the vast majority spent on lifetime care. The average lifetime cost of autism was estimated as £2.94m. The research team stated that ‘Evidence suggests that even moderate increases in educational provision could potentially result in major savings in later living costs’.9
Notes
1 The Office of National Statistics recently reported a rate of autism of 1% in the population of school-age children. Office of National Statistics (2005), Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, London: Palgrave Macmillan. The Medical Research Council suggested a prevalence rate of 1 in 166 children under 8, while teachers have reported numbers as high as 1 in 80. Medical Research Council (2002) Review of Autism Research: Causes and Epidemiology, MRC: London; Barnard, J. et. al. (2003), Autism in Schools: Crisis or Challenge?, NAS: London.
2 In the ONS survey cited above, 82% of children with autism in the sample were boys.
3 Sharma, N (2003), Still Missing Out? Ending poverty and social exclusion: messages to government from families with disabled children, Barnardos: London.
4 Broach, S et. al. (2003), Autism: Rights in Reality, NAS: London.
5 Barnard, J et. al. (2003), Autism in Schools: Crisis or Challenge?, NAS: London.
6 Jones, G (2002), Educational Provision for Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Meeting Their Needs, David Fulton Publishers: London.
7 Batten, A et. al. (2006), Autism and Education: The Reality for Families Today, NAS: London.
8 Batten, A et. al. (2006), Autism and Education: The Reality for Families Today, NAS: London.
9 Knapp, M. & Jarbrink, K. (2000), The Cost of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities Update, 1, 7, April 2000.
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