The Facts

The Facts

• Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition
• There are around 700,000 people in the UK with autism, that’s more than 1 in 100.  If you include their families, autism touches the lives of 2.8 million people every day
• While autism is incurable, the right support at the right time can make an enormous difference to people’s lives
• 63% of children with autism are not in the kind of school their parents believe would best support them
• 17% of children with autism have been suspended from school, 48% three or more times.  4% have been expelled from one or more schools
• Only 15% of adults with autism in the UK are in full-time work
• At least 1 in 3 adults with autism experience severe mental health difficulties due to a lack of support
• 70% of adults with autism say they are not getting the help they need and feel isolated

The National Autistic Society 2015

• The total cost of supporting adults with autism in the UK is £25 billion per year

NHS South West

 Cost of Autism in the UK

• Aggregate cost of supporting people with autism is £27.5 billion annually, 59% which is accounted for by services, 36% by lost employmentAggregate cost of supporting people with autism is £27.5 billion annually, 59% which is accounted for by services, 36% by lost employment
• 55% of individuals also have a learning disability (i.e. low functioning)
• Lifetime cost for someone with low functioning autism is £4.7 million
• Lifetime cost for someone with high-functioning autism is £2.9 million

These are conservative estimates and do not include costs of informal family care