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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Public Health Policy

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1659801

This article is part of the Research TopicNeurodevelopmental Disabilities in Childhood and Adolescence: Innovative Policy and ProgramsView all articles

Economic Impacts of Caring for Autistic Children in Ontario, Canada: Report from a Pilot Study

Provisionally accepted
Jingjing  XuJingjing Xu1*Gemma  GraziosiGemma Graziosi2Felipe  RodriguesFelipe Rodrigues1,3Renfang  TianRenfang Tian1Rachel  BirnbaumRachel Birnbaum4Nicole  NeilNicole Neil2
  • 1School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics, King's University College, Western University, London, Canada
  • 2Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Canada
  • 3Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Western University, London, Canada
  • 4School of Social Work & Childhood and Youth Studies, King's University College, Western University, London, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Although research on the economic costs of autism is growing, relatively few studies have examined these costs incurred by families of autistic children in Canada. This study designed and piloted a survey to capture the broader economic impact of caring for autistic children, including direct and indirect costs. It also sought to gather preliminary data to inform a future full-scale survey and enhance understanding of autism's economic impact in the Canadian context. The pilot survey was developed through a systematic and iterative process involving a literature review, workshops, and focus group discussions. It was then distributed to families with autistic children in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. A mixed-method analysis of survey responses revealed that financial challenges for these families often begin during the diagnostic process and continue with high out-of-pocket medical and therapy costs. Caregivers also face challenges accessing funding and appropriate support services, contributing to indirect costs such as increased living expenses, childcare, education, and training. Caregivers of autistic children in Ontario experience substantial and multifaceted challenges that are compounded by inadequate public support. Understanding the nature and extent of caregiver expenditures can inform more targeted and efficient policy responses in financial, informational, and practical autism-related support.

Keywords: Economic impacts, autistic children, autism, Costs, Families, Services

Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 03 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Graziosi, Rodrigues, Tian, Birnbaum and Neil. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jingjing Xu, School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics, King's University College, Western University, London, Canada

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