Age-related variation in health service use and associated expenditures among children with autism.

Cidav et al. (2013) looked at Medicaid records for kids with autism. They tracked how many used therapy, hospitals, and other care each year. They also added up what Medicaid paid.

As kids got older, therapy visits dropped but hospital and group-home use rose. Total Medicaid spending still went up every year. The shift starts early and keeps climbing through age 18.

Zhao et al. (2023) saw the same age-cost climb in Beijing hospitals. Their huge sample shows the pattern is not just a U.S. Medicaid quirk.

Croteau et al. (2019) followed Canadian kids for five years. Visits went down yet drug costs stayed high, matching the U.S. trend of fewer but pricier services.

Tsiplova et al. (2023) found preschool behavior services did not change later skills. This looks like a contradiction, but Kate studied skill gains while Zuleyha studied dollars. Costs can rise even when skills stay flat.

Expect budgets to grow as clients age. Plan early for the move from clinic therapy to residential or hospital care. Use this info when you write transition goals and justify funding requests.