Safety Planning for Suicidality in Autism: Obstacles, Potential Solutions, and Future Directions

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among US adolescents; data from the Youth Behavior Risk Survey indicates nearly 19% of youth reported seriously considering suicide, and 9% reported a suicide attempt within the past year.1 To date, suicide research in adolescents has largely been focused on neurotypical youth. Autistic youth experience elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors,2–4 with a recent cohort study finding autistic...