How We Calculate Autism Costs: Our Methodology

The local citation registry supports Buescher et al. (2014) for one narrow lifetime-cost claim. It does not support a Canadian lifetime-cost range, Ontario survey count, or annual therapy-cost range.

Do not convert US lifetime research into an Ontario annual family cost unless the method, currency, inflation series, support-needs definition, and Canadian source are shown.

We divide costs into five categories: (1) direct therapy costs (ABA, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, psychology), (2) educational support costs (tutoring, educational assistants, specialized programs), (3) medical and health costs (physician visits, medications, allied health), (4) lost caregiver productivity (reduced employment, career limitations), and (5) residential and daily living costs (for adults requiring supported living).

Each category needs a source ledger before it can be shown as a calculator input. The ledger should name the source, date, formula, geography, and limits.

Support levels should not be priced without a documented method. Families should treat any unsourced estimate as a planning prompt, not a verified number.

Key assumptions must be stated beside any estimate. That includes currency year, inflation method, service intensity, geography, family-paid costs, and what public programs may cover.

Known limitations: our model does not capture the full range of family costs (e.g., relationship strain, sibling impacts, housing modifications), regional cost variations within Ontario are not fully reflected, and we cannot account for informal supports provided by extended family or community. We explicitly state these limitations alongside all published estimates.