Early autism signs & life insurance

BY: ANDREW STEWART

Autism spectrum disorder (or ASD) is distinguished by a wide variety of social, communication, and cyclical behaviors that are considered somewhat out of character for children. Children with autism often seem distant or disconnected from loved ones (for example, parents and siblings). Autism symptoms vary dramatically among patients. At one end of the spectrum, a child can have mild social deficits and difficulties with executive functioning skills but have good language skills and appear to function well. At the other end, he or she can be non-verbal and have behavioural issues.

Wherever along the spectrum they are, there are some signs and symptoms that Autism Speaks Canada says most children on the spectrum exhibit that parents should watch for:

• No big smiles or other joyful expressions by the age of six months onwards
• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
• No babbling by twelve months
• No pointing, showing, reaching or waving by twelve months
• No words by sixteen months
• No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by twenty-four months
• Loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age
• Repetitive behaviors such as lining up objects, hand flapping, twirling
• A fascination with a specific numbers, symbols, dates or science topics
• Unusual or extreme reactions to everyday events, such as frequent violent tantrums or outbursts
• Unusual sensitivity to noise

A new study reveals the lifetime cost of supporting someone with autism spectrum disorder: $2.4 million in the United States, $2.2 million in the United Kingdom. They found that the high costs associated with autism spectrum disorders (or ASD) started at a young age, with autistic children receiving special (and often expensive) education. For some parents they will have to sacrifice their career development to provide care, this could have an adverse effect on their retirement savings and pension amounts. If the unthinkable were to happen, a life insurance policy is a way to help mediate that risk and replace lost wages and savings.

If you are living with an autistic child, it might seem like the condition would make qualifying for life insurance impossible. This isn’t true. Many applicants with these mental conditions are still able to qualify for life insurance. If your considering life insurance for your child, you should make the decision while they are still young. Whole life insurance is for the lifetime of the child, it guarantees continued coverage if health conditions deteriorate and accumulate a value over time referred to as the cash surrender value that the child could use in adult years to supplement income.

In my experience, I have found that it is often the parents of those suffering from autism that are looking to secure a life insurance policy for their child. In these cases, the parent isn’t necessarily looking for a policy to protect young children, replace lost income or cover the cost of a mortgage rather they just want something in place that would cover final expenses. Guaranteed issue life insurance policies, will typically be limited to less than $50,000 in coverage and will have some unique features to them that are not typically found in more traditional fully underwritten policies.

Whether a child can qualify depends on a number of factors including the severity of their mental condition. There are several questions an applicant will need to answer about the condition. What is the applicant’s official diagnosis for autism? Has the applicant been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders or an intellectual disability? Does the applicant have physical impairments like Cerebral palsy or a history of seizures? Does the applicant need assistance with activities of daily living (feeding, bathing, dressing, etc.)? They also consider an applicant’s age. Generally, it is better for someone to apply when they are fifteen or older.