“The figures showed a clear need for more effective interventions to treat autism, ideally in early life, to make the best use of scarce resources,” says lead researched Prof. Martin Knapp, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, in London.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics found that autism costs the UK at least £32 billion a year. This spending goes to treatment, lost earnings, care and support for both children and adults with ASD.

This is a huge amount compared to the £12 billion spent on cancer, £8 billion for heart disease and £5 billion for stroke. It was found by Autistica that only £6.60 per person were spent on Autism research, as opposed to the £295 that is spent per person on cancer research.

This highlights the overall issue of low funding on mental health research, despite its huge burden on society.

Furthermore, it shows that through the right research for early interventions in Autism could lead to much less government spending later in life for care and support of both children and adults with ASD.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27742716