Mothers of autistic children earn 56% less income, study says
(CBS News) When a child in the family has autism, parents and
siblings often devote extra time and financial resources to
ensure the best possible outcomes for the child's future. A new
study puts a number on the financial toll the disorder takes on
families each year. On average, family earnings when a child has
autism are 28 percent lower than those of a child without a
health limitation, the study found - nearly $18,000 less money
for the family per year. "Our results suggest a significant
economic burden for families of children with ASD, especially
for mothers," study co-author Dr. Zuleyha Cidav, a postdoctoral
mental health researcher at the University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine, said in a university written
statement. For the study, published in the March 19 issue of
Pediatrics, Penn researchers looked at data collected between
2002 and 2008 on about 260 families with autism. The researchers
compared the financial data with