AUTISM

Autism brings a lot of emotional ups and downs for the family. Stress levels are extremely high along with other instances such as:

• Embarrassment over the child’s behavior in public
• Feeling isolated publicly
• Guilt from thinking that they may be responsible for the child’s challenges
• Despair because of the disorder’s incurable nature
• Resentment of the child and guilt due to resentment
• Anger at themselves, doctors and spouse
• Overwhelmed

Statistics show that parents of autistic children have a 9.7 percent higher chance of getting a divorce than their peers. Marital stressors include:

• Parents often accept their child’s diagnosis at different times and different ways, causing conflict
• Spending time together becomes difficult because of the numerous commitments and inconsistent schedules
• Many challenges to find child care for autistic children
• Financial stress leads to marital issues

Families with autistic children often face a huge financial burden. Expenses for autism treatment and therapies are not covered by most private health insurers and are quite expensive, which proposes financial strain on families. Families with autistic children generally earn 28 percent less than families with non-autistic children. This is due to:

• The loss of one parents income – many parents choose to quit their job and stay home to care for their autistic child
• Specialty schooling
• Lack of health care coverage