The Intersection of Poverty and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A study of institutional and individual disparities in healthcare for autism

Abstract

This paper explores several published articles that report on the intersections between poverty and autism spectrum disorder. Several authors state that access to care for this mental health issue is limited for disadvantaged families due to the high cost of care and the low incidence of insurance coverage, while others insinuate that more social causes are at fault: minority discrimination, lack of parental educational attainment, or geographical variations in resource availability. This paper examines research regarding potential contributions to variations in care among the disadvantaged, briefly proposes ideas for future research, and concludes with ideals for policy reform in response to this research, as well as an ethical argument regarding the topic’s public value.