Objective　To investigate the family disease burden of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China, and provide a scientific reference for decision makers to allocate public resources and organize public services for people with ASD. Methods　A self­developed questionnaire was used to investigate 1 538 families of children with ASD in 13 cities in northern, eastern, western, southern, and central China. The main content of the investigation was the economic  and psychological burden of the family. Results　The median cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation for children with ASD in China was 60 000 yuan/year, of which 60 000 yuan/year in the north, 80 000 yuan/year in the east, 60 000 yuan/year in the west, 50 000 yuan/year in the south, and 60 000 yuan/year in the central area. There were significant differences among different regions (P<0.05). Among the families, 61.15% resigned because of ASD childcare issues,  43.90% moved to another place for rehabilitation, and 67.04% had family conflicts due to children's illness. Conclusion　ASD has caused serious economic and psychological burdens to the family. To create a better social and family environment for the rehabilitation of ASD children, the assistance and medical insurance coverage should be further increased, and more professional rehabilitation training institutions should be constructed. At the same time, attention should be paid to the psychological burden of family members of children with ASD and reasonable interventions should be implemented for related risk factors.