National Multi-center Study On Family Disease Burden Of Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Objective: To investigate the family disease burden of children with ASD in China and to provide a scientific reference for decision makers to allocate public resources and organize public services for people with ASD.Methods: A self-developed questionnaire was used to investigate1538 families of children with ASD in 13 provinces in northern,eastern,western,southern,and central China.The main content of the investigation was the economic burden,psychological burden and relevant suggestions from parents of children with ASD.Results: The median cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation for children with ASD in China is 60 thousand yuan/year,of which 60 thousand yuan/year in the north,80 thousand yuan/year in the east,60 thousand yuan/year in the west,50 thousand yuan/year in the south,and 60 thousand yuan/year in the central area,there are significant differences in different regions(P<0.05).61.15% of the families resigned because of ASD childcare issues,and 43.90% of the families moved to another place for rehabilitation,67.04% of families had family conflicts due to children’s illness,and 87.85% of parents expressed their desire to receive state financial assistance,84.70% hope that the state can increase investment in professional rehabilitation training institutions,and 84.25% hope that more national policies can help the management and employment of children with autism in adulthood.Conclusion: ASD has caused serious economic and psychological burdens to the family.To create a better social and family environment for the rehabilitation of ASD children,the assistance and medical insurance coverage should be further increased,and more professional rehabilitation training institutions should be constructed,at the same time,attention should be paid to the psychological burden of family members of children with ASD and reasonable interventions should be implemented for related risk factors.