Bad news!
"The rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young people with autism has long been unclear to researchers, as traditional suicide risk-screening tools are typically not designed with autism-related communication needs in mind.
So when researchers at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute surveyed over 950 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder, they did not anticipate the startlingly high rates—especially among very young children:
Of the nearly 400 autistic children who reported wanting to die over their lifetime, 35% experienced onset at 8 years old and younger, per findings published in JAMA Pediatrics. ..."
"New, alarming statistics from Kennedy Krieger Institute suggest that suicidal thoughts and behaviors may begin at very young ages in children with autism spectrum disorder. According to a recent survey, parents reported their children wanting to end their own life by 8 years old or younger.
Responses from over 900 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were analyzed in a nationally distributed survey. Among participants who reported different types of suicidal thoughts, onset at eight years old or younger occurred as follows:
36.2% reported wanting to die.
35.3% reported wanting to end their own life.
18.1% reported having a suicide planned.
... "
From the abstract (this is a weird abstract, more like teaser):
"Identification of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) among children and adolescents (hereinafter, children) is increasing in the US. Suicide rates among children aged 10 to 14 years tripled between 2007 and 2021, becoming the second leading cause of death in the US for this age group.1 Between 2018 and 2021, 315 suicides were reported among US children aged 5 to 11 years.1 Individuals with ASD show increased rates of STBs, although prevalence estimates vary by study. Research on STBs among those with ASD is characterized by lack of knowledge about the developmental understanding of suicide and finality of death. Given the increasing trend in STBs among preteens in the US and known elevated rates of STBs among those with ASD, this study examined age at onset of STBs among children with ASD."
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