Abstract
Little is known about the use of medical services by children who have autism (ASD). Provide nationally representative data for health service utilization and expenditures of children with ASD. Cross-sectional survey using the Medical Expenditure Panel (MEPS), and National (Hospital) Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (N(H)AMCS). A total of 80 children with ASD were identified from N(H)AMCS (weighted sample size (wss) 186,281), and 31 (wss 340,158) from MEPS. They had more outpatient visits, physician visits, and medications prescribed than children in general. They spent more time during physician visits than other children. Annual expenses for children with autism spectrum disorder ($6,132) were more than for other children ($860). Children with ASD have a substantial burden of medical illness.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chambers, J. G., Shkolnik, J., & Perez, M. (2003). Total expenditures for students with disabilities, 1999--2000: Spending variation by disability. Special education expenditure project, pp. 1--16. United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 12--30--2003.
Cohen, S. B. (2000). Sample design of the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey household component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Coplan, J. (2003). Atypicality, intelligence, and age: a conceptual model of autistic spectrum disorder. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 45(10), 712--716.
Curran, A. L., Sharples, P. M., White, C., & Knapp, M. (2001). Time costs of caring for children with severe disabilities compared with caring for children without disabilities. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 43(8), 529--533.
Filipek, P. A., Accardo, P. J., Ashwal, S., Baranek, G. T., Cook, E. H., Jr., Dawson, G., Gordon, B., Gravel, J. S., Johnson, C. P., Kallen, R. J., Levy, S. E., Minshew, N. J., Ozonoff, S., Prizant, B. M., Rapin, I., Rogers, S. J., Stone, W. L., Teplin, S. W., Tuchman, R. F., & Volkmar, F. R. (2000). Practice parameter: screening and diagnosis of autism: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society. Neurology, 55(4), 468--479.
Fombonne, E. (2003). Epidemiological surveys of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders: an update. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(4), 365--382.
Gillberg, C., & Billstedt, E. (2000). Autism and Asperger syndrome: Coexistence with other clinical disorders. Acta Psychiatrica et Neurologica Scandinivica, 102(5), 321--330.
Gross, J. (2004) As Autism cases rise, parents run frenzied race to get help. New York Times, January 30, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/nyregion/30AUTI.html. Retrieved 2/2/2004.
Howlin, P., & Asgharian, A. (1999). The diagnosis of autism and Asperger syndrome: findings from a survey of 770 families. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 41(12), 834--839.
Ireys, H. T., Anderson, G. F., Shaffer, T. J., & Neff, J. M. (1997). Expenditures for care of children with chronic illnesses enrolled in the Washington State Medicaid program, fiscal year 1993. Pediatrics, 100, 197--204.
Jacobson, J. W., & Mulick, J. A. (2000). System and cost research issues in treatments for people with autistic disorders. Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, 30(6), 585--593.
Jarbrink, K., & Knapp, M. (2001). The economic impact of autism in Britain. Autism, 5(1), 7--22.
Jarbrink, K., Fombonne, E., & Knapp, M. (2003). Measuring the parental, service and cost impacts of children with autistic spectrum disorder: a pilot study. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders, 33(4), 395--402.
Johnson, E., & Hastings, R. P. (2002). Facilitating factors and barriers to the implementation of intensive home-based behavioural intervention for young children with autism. Child Care Health and Development, 28(2), 123--129.
Koppelman, J. (2004). Children with mental disorders: Making sense of their needs and the systems that help them. NHPF Issue Brief, 4, 1--24.
Krauss, M. W., Gulley, S., Sciegaj, M., & Wells, N. (2003). Access to specialty medical care for children with mental retardation, autism, and other special health care needs. Mental Retardation, 41(5), 329--339.
Kuhlthau, K. A., Beal, A. C., Ferris, T. G., & Perrin, J. M. (2002). Comparing a diagnosis list with a survey method to identify children with chronic conditions in an urban health center. Ambulatory Pediatrics, 2(1), 58--62.
Landrigan, P. J., Schechter, C. B., Lipton, J. M., Fahs, M. C. & Schwartz, J. (2002). Environmental Pollutants and Disease in American Children: Estimates of Morbidity, Mortality, and Costs for Lead Poisoning, Asthma, Cancer, and Developmental Disabilities. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(7), 721--728.
Leonard, H., & Wen, X. (2002). The epidemiology of mental retardation: challenges and opportunities in the new millennium. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 8(3), 117--134.
Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., & Risi, S. (1999). Autism diagnostic observation schedule-WPS (WPS ed.). LosAngeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
McCall, C. J. (2003) Improving outcomes and reducing cost: the role of predictive modeling. Managed Care, 12(10 Suppl), 12--16.
McCracken, J. T., McGough, J., Shah, B., Cronin, P., Hong, D., Aman, M. G., Arnold, L. E., Lindsay, R., Nash, P., Hollway, J., McDougle, C. J., Posey, D., Swiezy, N., Kohn, A., Scahill, L., Martin, A., Koenig, K., Volkmar, F., Carroll, D., Lancor, A., Tierney, E., Ghuman, J., Gonzalez, N. M., Grados, M., Vitiello, B., Ritz, L., Davies, M., Robinson, J., & McMahon, D. (2002). Risperidone in children with autism and serious behavioral problems. The New England Journal of Medicine, 347(5), 314--321.
Murphy, C. C., Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Decoufle, P., & Drews, C. D. (1995). The administrative prevalence of mental retardation in 10-year-old children in metropolitan Atlanta, 1985 through 1987. American Journal of Public Health, 85(3), 319--23.
National Center for Health Statistics (2004a). Ambulatory health care data. Ambulatory Care statistics branch. http://www.cdc.gov/namcs/ Retrieved 2-1-2004.
National Center for Health Statistics (2004b). Welcome NHAMCS participants! Ambulatory care statistics branch. 2004b. http://www.cdc.gov/nhamcs/ Retrieved 2-1-2004.
Ryan, S. A., Auinger, P., Liptak, G. S., Dick, A. W., Shone, L., Klein, J. D., & Szilagyi, P. G. (2006). Trends in health care expenditures and utilization for children with special health care needs: Analysis of the 1996 and 1999 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Public Health Reports, Submitted for publication.
Shah, B. V., Barnwell, R. C., & Bieler, G. S. (1997). SUDAAN User’s Manual (release 7.5). Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.
Sturm, H., Fernell, E., & Gillberg, C. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders in children with normal intellectual levels: associated impairments and subgroups. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 46(7), 444--447.
Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Rice, C., Karapurkar, T., Doernberg, N., Boyle, C., & Murphy, C. (2003). Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA, 289(1), 49--55.
Ziring, P. R., Brazdziunas, D., Cooley, W. C., Kastner, T. A., Kummer, M. E., Gonzalez, d. P., Quint, R. D., Ruppert, E. S., Sandler, A. D., Anderson, W. C., Arango, P., Burgan, P., Garner, C., McPherson, M., Michaud, L., Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Johnson, C. P., Wheeler, L. S., Nackashi, J., & Perrin, J. M. (1999). American academy of pediatrics. Committee on children with disabilities. Care coordination: integrating health and related systems of care for children with special health care needs. Pediatrics, 104(4 Pt 1), 978--981.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liptak, G.S., Stuart, T. & Auinger, P. Health Care Utilization and Expenditures for Children with Autism: Data from U.S. National Samples. J Autism Dev Disord 36, 871–879 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0119-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0119-9