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Alana Hadley
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
10/5/15
Topic Proposal: Where Does the Money Go?
Introduction/Overview
I will be examining the breakdown of where the money our government puts aside for
helping those with autism goes. I will be looking at how much of the money actually makes it to
helping, such as services for people with autism rather than research, once it goes to the
organizations and other places.
When a child is diagnosed with autism there is automatically a financial strain added
upon the families expenses. According to a study on the cost of Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD), The reported annual out-of-pocket costs to families in relation to ASD were specific
medical, therapeutic and complimentary/alternative treatment services. That same study found
that the median family cost of ASD was estimated to be $24,430 per year. The median family
has an average yearly income of $50,000, so around 50% of their income goes to help pay for
expenses. This shows that money is needed in helping families to take of expenses and not be
placed in such a heavy financial burden.

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The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) did a study back in 2006 and found,
According to estimates from NIH (National Institutes of Health), the agency increased funding
for autism from about $51.5 million in fiscal year 2000 to about $101.6 million in fiscal year
2005. So obviously there is money out there meant to help people with autism but what I want
to know is where all the money going. The GAO also found, Education and HHSs (Human
and Health Services) Administration for Children and Families support services for children with
autism through education programs for children with disabilities. If there are programs like this
for children with autism being funded, are there programs for adults as well? If so are they
funded just as much?
In order to learn what I need to about my topic I will need to learn just how much the
government spends each year in funding for autism. I will also need to learn the breakdown of
where the money is distributed, such as how much goes to programs and how much goes to
research. I had no clue where to start in finding this information so I used the Librarian Chat
feature on the UNC Charlotte library website and had a librarian help me find some government
articles and science articles about my topic on the librarys database.
My topic can branch out into many different directions. It can take me along the debate
that more money should go towards research or more should go towards programs. Then once I
get into the idea of programs it breaks down into the amount of programs for children or adults,
and if any group is lacking. Many organizations start to get involved at that point, such as
Autism Speaks (national) or The Autism Society (each state has its own). I feel like this topic
will take me on a very interesting intellectual journey and adventure on where does the money go
and who really needs it the most.

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Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Where does the money designated by the government for autism go?

Where should the money actually go?

How much of money for autism goes towards children, how much towards adults?

What areas need more funding?

What is the money used for?

How much of the money will go towards schools?

How much money is given by the government?

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in where the money for autism goes because my little sister is autistic and
I want to know if there are areas that she will not be getting a lot of help in in the future. I know
plenty about what autism is and what help people with autism need, however I dont know if
people are actually getting the help itself. I want to make a difference in the world of autism and
there are plenty of things I need to know in order to be able to make the biggest difference I can.
In this project I hope to learn what areas are getting the least amount of funding and help so I
can find a place that needs my help.
Next Steps
I will be using the wonderful online resource database from UNC Charlottes library for
my research. I will be using the articles and government papers available online to found out the

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information I am looking for, such as how the government distributes the money and where it
goes, as well as if it makes a difference. I will also talk to reference librarians to help me with
the government documents I will be trying to find. I will also be looking at the websites from
different autism organizations to see what they are doing with the money they are given. While
the websites will be biased it will give me a solid idea of what they spend all the money on.