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CHICAGO — A study of children with special health needs found that compared with parents whose kids have chronic health-care needs but not autism, those with autistic children are three times more likely to have to quit their jobs or reduce work hours to care for their kids. They pay more for their kids’ health needs, spend more time arranging care and are more likely to have money difficulties, the study found. The results are from a 2005-06 survey by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau of nearly 40,000 children with special health-care needs. A total of 2,088 children had autism, which translates to about 535,000 kids ages 3 to 17 nationwide, said authors of the study in December’s Pediatrics. The Associated Press
