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MyHealthNewsDaily
Children who have autism may be at greater risk for thinking about or attempting suicide than children without the condition, according to a new study.
Researchers looked at data for about 1,000 children, including 791 kids with an autism spectrum disorder, 186 non-autistic children without a mental condition and 35 non-autistic children with depression. Parents gave numerical ratings describing whether and how frequently their children had contemplated or attempted suicide.
Children with autism were 28 times more likely to be rated as contemplating or attempting suicide "sometimes" to "very often," compared with children who didn't have autism, according to the researchers. However, children with depression were three times more likely to receive these ratings compared to children with autism.
The researchers found a higher risk for children with autism who were black or Hispanic, at least 10 years old, male or from families with lower income levels. "That was probably the most important piece of the study," Angela Gorman, an assistant professor of child psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine who worked on the research, said in a statement.
In fact, 71 percent of children characterized by all four of those factors had contemplated or attempted suicide. And having more of those four characteristics increased the likelihood that a child had thought about or attempted suicide.
Gorman suggested that parents of children with autism pay close attention to their child's normal behavior and emotions, and work at helping their child develop communication and social skills early in life.
Among children with autism, suicidal contemplation was twice as common in males, although there was no difference between the sexes in suicide attempts, the researchers said.
Depression and behavior problems were highly linked with suicide contemplation and attempts, as were being teased or bullied.
"Out of those kids, almost half of them had suicidal ideation of attempts," Gorman said of the bullied or teased children. "That was pretty significant."
Depression was the strongest single predictor of suicide contemplation or attempts in children with autism. In those children with autism whose parents considered them depressed, 77 percent had contemplated or attempted suicide.
Children with autism who did not have mood or behavioral problems and did not fall into the high-risk categories were very unlikely to have contemplated or attempted suicide, according to the researchers.
Neither cognitive ability nor IQ had much effect on whether or not children with autism contemplated or attempted suicide.
The results were published in the January issue of the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The advocacy groups Autism Speaks and the Children's Miracle Network funded the study.
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I know that the good and bad of reserch on autism must be reported but this one is going to be hard for parents of autistic children to take as it isn't enough that they live with the stigma associated with a child that is autistic now this.
cc, there is no stigma from having autism or being the parent of a child with autism. You are part of the problem with that attitude.
I have a 26 year old autistic son and Genenut, you must not. There is a stigma. You blind? I have been a single father that includes my son in my life. He has worked fast food three days a week for 4 years. He can drive but I am afraid to get him licensed because of his imaging skills meaning guess like we do the other drivers are doing. He has a very hard time making friends with normal girls who pass him up. There are few people like him to socialize with. It is tuff being a autistic and you always have to have a care giver. You don't have any idea what you are talking about. Period.
Yank, you are WAY off base.
I didnt say there arent DIFFICULTIES when you have autism, HOWEVER there isnt a STIGMA from it. Its a neurological condition, not something to be ashamed of.
And for the record I have 2 children with autism. One of whom has been on anti depressants for 10 years now due to depression that has its roots in his social interaction difficulties from his ASD.
The definition of stigma :
stig·ma
/ˈstigmə/
Noun
There is NO disgrace in having a neurological disorder. NOTHING you or anyone affected by it should be ashamed of. Anyone who thinks so only contributes to the problems our children with autism face everyday.
I have a B S degree and know what stigma means. There is a stigma when you are in many public places and always will be. I sometimes have to explain that, in a whisper, he is autistic. That reduces the barrier that I perceive is happening and we go on. I will be his care giver til I die. I have two leukemia's and hope to evade that for 5 or 6 more years. I hope by then his mother is mature in her late 50's to let him live with her.
I am sensitive to your family but have lived this side of the coin for 26 years. Each one of us families that have autistic kids have different experiences and I do not minimize yours. Sorry, I will think about this today.
As a parent of a autistic son I would like to say to the people who did this study....
DUH! I could have told you that and told you for free!
Most kids under the age of 10 don't understand that dead means dead and your gone forever. Add autism to this and well it becomes a whole new ball game. Autistic kids struggle ever single day to understand the world around them. Even smells, noise and lights can cause them to meltdown and say and sometimes do whatever it takes to ease the pain of confusion. Understanding this and having a "escape plan" will help more then anything else.
The article didnt mention the fact that this kids are bullied by society on a daily basis. The never-ending weird looks, nasty rude comments, and lack of empathy from most people they come in contact is a LOT more then most of us could handle on any one day let alone every. single. day!
I would say that communication with the child is key but then again you have a HUGE obstacle...because with most of these kids communication on any level is a problem.
So...the powers that be that did this study? Dont tell me something I already know...give me some tools or resources I can use to help my child understand that this is NOT the way to deal with a ugly, confusing world. Or maybe give me a way to talk to my childs doctors without fear that the child will be labeled a threat to him/her self and be taken away.....because we parents worry about that a lot! Afraid we are doing a horrible job or that society will think we are and we end up not turning to anyone for help.
....all that and more while we lay awake at night wondering how the next day will be for our child and our family.
Rhonda, I agree with much of what you said but please don't be so dismissive of studies like this. Just because lots of people already suspect that something is true that doesn't mean scientists shouldn't confirm it. The history of science is FULL of studies that convincingly showed that we all believed something that turned out to be completely wrong. As I've often said, if a scientific study confirms what the public already believe they think it's a waste of money because "we already knew that" -- yet if the study shows that we were all WRONG about something widely believed then the public thinks it's a waste of money because they don't believe the results.
As the parent of a child with autism, though, I agree with the rest of what you wrote. I'll never forget the time my son was facing the top of an escalator, which is very hard for him because of his motor planning difficulties. I asked him if he wanted us to try to find an elevator and he said "No, I have to learn to do this." As he hesitated, terrified, a group of "normal" women behind us started laughing at him. One turned and whispered to the others, "I wonder what is wrong with that boy". Now...the reader can judge for himself or herself who the screwed up people are in this story.
To respond to the original poster: there is NO stigma associated with having autism or being the parent of an autistic child. Nor is there any stigma associated with depression or suicide. The only shame lies with the supposedly "normal" people that drive others over the edge with their cruelty.
Rhonda,
If you are doing everything you can do then quit worrying about what other people think. I agree. I could have told them that too. That's true for anyone who has mental health issues, and yes it's a mental health issue just as much as a neurobiological issue for this very reason. Cause does not change social impact.
What seems like a long time ago I had a conversation with a lady at Easter seals trying to get some help. It was a very embarassing conversation about possible causes and why were there no neonatal studies on the long term effects of strep infections in the mother, and the like. It was embarassing because the line of questions were geared towards what did I do wrong that might have caused it. I decided that I wasn't the problem. The problem was the thinking about what the cause may be. I quit worrying about what other people thought because that is not going to help my child, nor is it going to help me.
I also knew a friend who had a child with autism and she was so scared of what everyone else thought she never took her kid out to do anything. This is just as bad for your kid. I had to lie to her to get her to get the kid out of the house. We went to a restuarant I was familiar with that I knew the ladies and other staff had experience with customers who had children with autism. I went in and let the ladies know what I was doing so her mother wouldn't be as afraid of what other people thought. And yes, the kid had a mild fit. The pancake was not exactly like a packaged mini pancake. It was something different. We planned back up food just in case. In the overall picture the mother got more upset than the kid and everyone else. The mother was over stressed and needed a better support group, which is normal considering the circumstances. I could not however, make her talk to someone about her stress.
Point, if you can't sleep at night because you are that worried you need someone to talk to just to take care of yourself. Something caregivers are gloriously wonderful at doing, neglecting their needs.
It's a good study for new mothers who are dealing with it and they don't know. It gives them a heads up on what to plan for just in case.
I just asked my kid why she at one point felt that way. She said it's not the bullying near as much as the loneliness they experience. The real thing these kids need, a solution to the social isolation they experience and their caregivers.
Rhonda,I'm not clear on why you say that people with autism are bullied and treated badly when encountered.To be truthful with you I would not know an autistic person by being out and about unless you pointed it out to me.I have a client who has a son that suffers from Aspberger's(I know I spelled that wrong).I though that he was just shy.Anyway,he is a very smart and neat person to talk to.One of my neighbors has a friend with two kids that are autistic and again,I thought that they were shy.I kept saying hello to them and voila,they say hello back now.It took me a few times but they even talk to me now.Society needs to grow up and embrace those who are different as they will be in for a wonderful surprise.Lots of patience,perseverance and a warm smile is the ticket when approaching those with autism.I'm sorry that people have been rude to you and your kids.
Yank,You sound like a wonderful father.Your son is very lucky to have you in his life.I'll say a prayer that you have oodles of years left in this world.
Well maybe if kids with autism werent bullied so much. Maybe if adults didnt think that autism could be cured with a good spanking or that there was a "stigma" attached to it like CC above wrote. Maybe if kids with autism were accepted and supported in the community the same way kids who are physically disabled are it would help.
When you are constantly told you are worth LESS than everyone else due to no fault of your own and that if you just try harder you could fix what is really a neurological condition not a learned behavior and no matter how hard you try you cant achieve that result because you cant unlearn a neurological condition it takes a toll on you.
when society grows up and starts accepting that everyone is different and that we as a society must find a place for ALL based on their talents and skills rather than excluding people based on what they cannot do or be and that bulllying is NOT acceptable at any age then this wont be an issue.
While narrow mindedness, bigotry, bullying and such are allowed and accepted in society this will continue.
Great post, Genenut. I completely agree.
As a parent to an autistic child, I say AMEN to what Genenut just wrote.
For many years I had to protect my child from bullies that act like vultures that attack the weak. The public school officials don't really care. They think that autistic children are dangerous beings. When my child tried to fight back on a heartless bully, my child was immediately branded by the school officials as "mentally & emotionally disturbed". They tried to place my child in a strictly controlled class, almost like a detention class. I protested and fought the school officials. I pulled my child out of the public school and placed my child in a private school.
When my child finally got into the private school where there is no bullying, he immediately went from a C-minus student to a B-plus student. My child got a B+ in physiology, which was the toughest subject in that school.
My child graduated high school with a regular high school diploma. My child is now in college studying successfully. The bullies are the ones that cause autistic children to struggle in school.
To all of you parents that have autistic children, please pray everyday with your child. God will be there with you. Protect your children from bullies. If you need to, bring them to private school where there is less bullies. I am not saying that there are no bullies in private schools. I am just saying there LESS bullies in private schools.
Well, duh, they feel isolated and lonely unless a concerted effort is made to appreciate their gifts--which they often have.
I think you all are full of crap, just deal with it, live it, and shut the hell up
JGOI1970's mom must be so proud of the troll she has raised.
Do kids with autism have a greater danger of accidental death?
Are kids with autism subjected to more or worse bullying than other kids?
Did this study distinguish between Asperger's Syndrome kids and Autism or not?
Did the study look at actual suicide or suicide attempts or just reported contemplation(s) of suicide?
Asperger's is a form of autism just like PPD-NOS and Fragile X are types of Autism.
And yes previous studies have shown kids with ASD are more bullied than kids who do not have ASD.
Accidental deaths wouldnt be a part of this study.
Quite frankly as the parents of 2 children with ASD I dont care if the kids in the study were successful in their planning and attempt or not. The fact that they were in a dark hole so deep that they thought the only way to escape was to plan or even attempt to carry out thier suicide is a major cause for alarm.
Just because you haven't cut your wrists yet but spend your free time planning how to do it needs just as much help and support as the one who gets to the action stage.
It is disheartening to know that kids bully kids who are autistic.It all goes back to those bully's having parents who raise them to not be considerate,respectful and kind to others.This study on suicide risks when a person suffers from autism should bring awareness to this tragedy and hopefully will prevent it from occuring more.