LOST
BOY
Max’s parents believe there is
hope that their giggly, sweet child
can grow up to be somewhat independent if he receives the right
education. And at age 6, they believe that his window for learning
how to learn is closing.
Max is one of several hundred
thousand American children who
have been diagnosed with autism
in the last decade. Diagnosis rates
have skyrocketed from one in 155
in 2002, to one in 88 in 2008.
And as these boys and girls grow
up, our budget-strapped country
will face yet another blow: Ac-
HUFFINGTON
01.12.14
cording to the Autism Society,
if these children aren’t taught
early and effectively the skills
that could eventually allow them
to live on their own, they’ll cost
taxpayers about $3.2 million each
throughout their lifetimes for services such as nurses to help them
go to the bathroom and group
homes where they can live after
their parents can no longer care
for them. In 10 years, those children will grow up and cost taxpayers anywhere between $200
billion and $400 billion annually.
But with proper care and schooling, according to research and
physicians, there’s a roughly 60
percent chance they’ll be able to
Greg stands
with protest
posters
outside a
local school
on Capitol
Hill in April
2013, where
D.C. Mayor
Vincent Gray
was visiting
to discuss
education
policy and
the progress
DCPS had
made during
his time in
office.