An Executive Update On Autism Treatment: An OPEN MINDS Market Intelligence Briefing, July 2012

When it comes to autism, the numbers can be a bit daunting. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that the prevalence of autism is now one in every 88 children in the United States, or about 845,454 children in all. Annually, the U.S. spends $126 billion on autism treatment, with per consumer spending for children ranging from $40,000 to $108,000. Yet as prevalence and spending have increased, we’ve also seen an increase in coverage of services and the development of new treatment technologies.

New mandates are expanding the limits of covered services, with a . . .