Economic well-being for households with children with disabilities: evidence from the SIPP

A growing number of families in the US are caring for children with identified disabilities. As demonstrated in previous studies, there is reason to be concerned about the economic well-being of children with disabilities and their families. However, much of the existing evidence is drawn from older data that do not reflect recent increases in disability diagnoses or relevant economic and policy changes. Using recent nationally representative data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we offer updated evidence on the economic well-being of households of children with disabilities. Our regression models suggest that families with a child with a disability are more likely to experience food insecurity, and, on average, have lower income-to-poverty ratios than other households with children. We discuss implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers.