Autism costs UK £27 billion a year, study says

From Craegmoor News:

A new report has said that more than £27 billion is spent on autism support and care every year in the UK.

Published in the journal Autism and carried out by the London School of Economics, the findings reveal the financial burden of the learning disability on public sectors such as social care, health care, education and housing.

Of the £27 billion, £2.7 billion goes to the support of children with autism spectrum disorders, while care for adults with learning difficulties costs the country £25 billion.

The researchers said: "The costs presented in this paper certainly do not provide an economic case for early intervention, but they do emphasise the importance of addressing just that question."

A government consultation for a future strategy for autism is set to help adults with the learning disability, in what the National Autistic Society (NAS) has called a "long-awaited milestone".