Bradford mum says the cost of raising a child with autism has sky-rocketed
A mum from Bradford says the cost of raising a child with autism has risen dramatically and is calling for understanding around it
Charlotte Claydon has two children, one of them being 13-year-old Grace, who is autistic.
Her and her family took part in a study, which has found parents with children on the autism spectrum could be spending an extra £2600 a year.
Charlotte tells us this is largely due to the constant need to replace items autistic children wear out quicker than their neurotypical counterparts.
“She Grace gets very angry, she’s had iPads and she gets angry and throws them and breaks them,” she said.
“At the moment she’s on a cheaper phone because I can’t afford to keep replacing screens on iPads and things like that.
“She likes certain clothes so I usually have to bulk buy so it’s all the same for sensory issues, so that costs money.”
The research by Yorkshire charity Family Fund and Loughborough University has shown families like Charlotte’s can spend up to 60% more a month than others.
These costs can add up to £50 extra a week.
Charlotte said: “People need to be more aware of how hard it is when things do go wrong or they need certain things.
“I have another child and they suffer when you’ve got to keep paying out more.”
Continuing, she added how rising costs are only adding to her stress: “The cost-of-living has risen so much that it’s so hard to actually afford to get everything done and pay all the bills you need to pay as well.
“Obviously I work full time and I’m a single parent and it is hard work.”
Dr Abigail Dunn, head of policy research and evaluation at Family Fund in Yorkshire, says Charlotte’s case, while distressing, isn’t rare.
“We have stories about how families will tell us about how their child has to eat a particular brand of food and if you can’t get hold of that particular brand of food the child just doesn’t eat.
“That means that families are having to make cutbacks in other areas and other things that most families just take for granted.
“This is part of the reality of living with autism.”