National Autism Indicators Report- Health and Health Care

January 20, 2021

The National Autism Indicators Report: Health and Health Care is the sixth in the National Autism Indicators Report Series produced from the Life Course Outcomes Research Program area at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. It reports indicators of health and health care for autistic people across the lifespan. Topics covered include overall health, health services, medication, insurance, and accessing services. The report combines data from two national surveys about health, one national sample of hospital inpatient stays, and previously published findings from Kaiser Permanente Northern California patient records.

Findings highlight that autistic people have many healthcare needs that are not adequately addressed, and needs for non-physical health concerns such as mental health and specialty care are more often unmet. The report also highlights the racial and ethnic disparities that persist in health and healthcare in the United States. Economic disparities are also of particular concern in autistic persons, where costly services and insurance inadequacies are common. Understanding health and healthcare needs across the life course can support recommendations on how to improve health and health care at critical points across a person's life. The purpose of this report is to catalogue indicators to aid in decision making to this end. A link to download a PDF version of the report can be found here.