So This Is

What Pediatrics (the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, that is) WILL publish....Pardonez-moi as I go puke in my waste basket, but what a waste of money and resources.

So really, taking care of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder puts a dent in the family income? I never would have guessed. Forgive my sarcasm here, but DUH!!!

Quick rundown of reasons, and I don't have to look any further than my own house. One parent typically has to give up her (yes, I purposely write 'her') job or significantly downscale her career (with DOES tend to have an effect on your paycheck), now add to that all the out-of-pocket costs of getting your child well (as after all autism IS genetic, so any and all symptoms the child may be suffering from are due to 'the autism', so you can forget about getting anything covered through your insurance). Then factor in that 85% of marriages go bust after an autism diagnosis, and well, well, well.. big surprise.. your financial resources evaporate faster than icecream in the Sahara desert...

And "The average loss of annual income associated with having a child with autism spectrum disorder was $6200 or 14% of their reported income. " is a GROSS underestimation. Try, "was the equivalent of a year's worth of tuition at a really good college" instead.

Bah, humbug...