Cost-Benefit Estimates for Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism- General Model and Single State Case

Clinical research and public policy reviews that have emerged in the past several years now make it
possible to estimate the cost-benefits of early intervention for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
with autism or pervasive development disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Research
indicates that with early, intensive intervention based on the principles of applied behavior
analysis, substantial numbers of children with autism or PDD-NOS can attain intellectual,
academic, communication, social, and daily living skills within the normal range. Representative
costs from Pennsylvania, including costs for educational and adult developmental disability
services, are applied in a cost-benefit model, assuming average participation in early intensive
behavioral intervention (EIBI) for three years between the age of 2 years and school entry. The
model applied assumes a range of EIBI effects, with some children ultimately participating in
regular education without supports, some in special education, and some in intensive special
education. At varying rates of e€ectiveness and in constant dollars, this model estimates that cost
savings range from $187,000 to $203,000 per child for ages 3-22 years, and from $656,000 to
$1,082,000 per child for ages 3-55 years. Differences in initial costs of $33,000 and $50,000
per year for EIBI have a modest impact on cost-benefit balance, but are greatly outweighed by
estimated savings. The analysis indicates that significant cost-aversion or cost-avoidance may be
possible with EIBI.