Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje reports at The San Antonio Express-News:
The first-ever study on the prevalence of autism in San Antonio and the surrounding area shows more than 30,000 adults and children struggle with the disorder — and there aren’t enough specialized providers to care for them.
The 151-page report, undertaken by a Houston-based health care consulting firm, gathered data from San Antonio and seven surrounding counties to find that 1 in 79 people are currently on the autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, a condition that ranges from mild to serious and is typically marked by social awkwardness, difficulty in communicating, repetitive behaviors and other problems.
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation commissioned the study after a series of roundtables begun about a year ago revealed a lack of information about the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in San Antonio and the struggles faced by families that experience it.
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The estimated economic impact of ASD in San Antonio, when such things as lost productivity and medical costs are taken into account, is around $2 billion annually, he said.
But one of the biggest problems revealed by the study is the dearth in San Antonio of highly-specialized providers who treat ASD, such as pediatric neurologists, developmental pediatricians and licensed school psychology specialists. Moreover, many health care providers who diagnose or treat ASD don’t make it a focused part of their practice, Goulden said.
