Respite Care May Be More Beneficial Than Autism Therapy

Source: Disability Scoop

A little money spent on temporary relief for caregivers goes a long way toward keeping kids and young adults with autism out of psychiatric hospitals, a new study suggests.

For every $1,000 states spent on respite services in the previous 60 days, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found an 8 percent drop in the odds of hospitalization.

Meanwhile, the level of therapeutic services — including speech, occupational, behavioral and other therapies — provided to an individual with autism did not impact the likelihood that they would end up in a psychiatric hospital.

The findings, published this month in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, come from a study of records for over 28,000 kids with autism ages 5 to 21 who were enrolled in Medicaid in 2004.

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