Autism in Virginia
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurological disorder that affects individuals in three primary areas (1) communication (2) social interaction and (3) repetitive and stereotyped behavior. Autism is a spectrum disorder where individuals present with varying levels of the above three symptoms.
State of services for autism in Virginia
Virginia ranks 48 among all states for providing services for people with disabilities in the United States. Autism does not have a home in Virginia. There is NO public agency that provides services to individuals with autism in Virginia. There is NO mandated insurance coverage for autism related services in Virginia. Children below 6 years of age qualify to apply for a Mental Retardation (MR) Waiver which has a wait list of 8-10 years. Children 6 years of age and above can apply for the Individual and Family Development Disabilities Support Waiver (DD Waiver) which also has a wait list for 8-10 years. So, an individual with autism can expect to get public funding support at around the age of 13-16 – if the family is proactive. Quality of Early Intervention services are poor. Quality of school services across the state vary with better quality schools in the Northern Virginia and Richmond area. In summary, there is a lot of work to be done to improve services for people with autism in Virginia.
Autism cases and impact in Virginia
1. Number of cases (1992-2006)*
Based on IDEA Part B and Part C data, in 2006, there were 6,394 children with autism in Virginia between the ages of zero and twenty two. There is no data available for adults with autism but prevalence data in Virginia in 2006 was estimated at 1 in 156* - close to the national average at that time.
More alarming is the growth rate in autism. Autism growth rates are significantly higher than growth rates for all other disabilities combined. The average growth rate is about 18%. Assuming a conservative 10-12% growth rate, it is expected that there are approximately 7,800 children with autism between the ages of zero and twenty two living in Virginia today.
3. Cumulative growth rate of autism in Virginia (1992-2006)*
The cumulative growth rate of autism is about 918%. Again, significantly higher than any other disability in Virginia. The cumulative growth rate of other disabilities is only 36%.
4. Autism incidence by age (ages 0-22)*
A majority of children with new diagnosis are in the age range of five to nine.
What is the data telling us?
The two significant pieces of information we can derive from the data are (1) autism rates continue to grow in Virginia at an alarming rate - on an average of 18% (2) a majority of the new cases are among younger children. How does this affect policy decisions in Virginia? Virginia needs to act immediately to put supports in place for its citizens with autism. With large increase in diagnosis among young children, Virginia can expect to see a financial tsunami effect when these children get older and require adult services, if services aren't put in place for the young children in the form of early intervention services which are severely lacking. Furthermore, there are a significant number of children now in the system who will need supports during their teenage years and adulthood because they did not get the needed early intervention services. Please read below - the cost implications of autism.
Cost impacts of autism
A 1998 study "
Cost-benefit Estimates for Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism," studied data from children in Pennsylvania and demonstrated how providing behavioral intervention to children with autism would save society at least $1 million dollars. Net costs and savings per individual was calculated based on individual's earning potential, educational costs, family support, adult services and social security benefits. The study concluded the following: