What are the childhood drivers of high economic costs of ASD in early adulthood?

Background and objectives: Young people with ASD face many challenges – with employment, friendships, intimate relationships, and their health. We examine the economic consequences of these challenges: what are the drivers... [ view full abstract ]

Background and objectives: Young people with ASD face many challenges – with employment, friendships, intimate relationships, and their health. We examine the economic consequences of these challenges: what are the drivers of high costs of ASD in adulthood, and can they be predicted from childhood characteristics?
Methodology: The Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP) assessed individuals at ages 11-12, 15-16 years and now 22-24. The SNAP cohort is population-representative and comprises a diverse group of young adults. Costs of service use, family support and lost employment are computed in early adulthood. Multivariate models, cognisant of potential complications with zero values and skewed distributions, are used to examine associations between, on the one hand, total and component costs in adulthood and, on the other hand, individual, family and other characteristics at earlier ages. We are also looking at co-occurring psychopathology in ASD and other conditions as potential cost drivers.
Results: Analyses are still underway and it is expected that results will be shown for the first time at the Autism-Europe International Congress.
Conclusions: Data collected in SNAP offer unusual opportunities to examine trends over time in a number of key aspects in the lives of young people with ASD. These economic analyses are just part of this wider opportunity. They could nevertheless contribute usefully to policy discussion, and the development of better support arrangements to improve the lives of young people.