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Child With Autism May Affect Family Income

Having a child with autism adversely affects family employment and income, new research suggests.

Mothers of children with autism are less likely to be employed than other mothers and likely to earn less when they do work, says researcher David Mandell, ScD, associate director of the Center for Autism Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Fathers aren't affected in the same ways.

However, family income suffers. "It turns out, autism is also associated with a large reduction of family income -- a 27% reduction in family income," Mandell says. That translates to earnings of $17,640 less than families with children without autism, according to his study.

Mandell presented the findings at the International Meeting for Autism Research in San Diego.