Trends in Supplemental Security Income Payments to Adults With Autism.

Objective: This study used Social Security Administration program data to identify population-level trends in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program participation and payments to adult recipients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relative to recipients with intellectual disability and other mental disorders.

Methods: The authors examined SSI program data from 2005 to 2015. Variables included caseload size, number of new adult awardees per year, total annual SSI payments per disability group, and average annual SSI payment per recipient.

Results: Adults with ASD represented a growing share of the total first-time SSI awards given to adults with mental disorders, with percentages increasing from 1.3% in 2005 to 5.0% in 2015. In 2015, 158,105 adults with ASD received SSI benefits, a 326.8% increase since 2005. Federal SSI payments to adults with ASD increased by 383.2% during the same period (totaling roughly $1.0 billion in 2015). The annual average payment for adults with ASD was $6,527.40 in 2015.

Conclusions: The purpose of the SSI program is to reduce the extent of poverty by providing monthly payments to eligible individuals with disabilities. The authors found that a large and growing number of adults with autism receive SSI benefits. This finding underscores the importance of future research related to the economic security of adults on the autism spectrum.