Biting, pinching and slapping are behaviors parents teach their little ones not to do to other people. But parents of autistic youth are sometimes faced with a reverse reality: teaching their children not to do these things to themselves.
Rates of self-harm are significantly higher in the autistic community for reasons researchers such as Carolyn DiGuiseppi, MD, PhD, MPH, are working to understand.
“Self-harm encompasses a wide range of actions. Not all of them result in injury, but they can include things like hitting oneself, biting oneself, pinching, slapping, hair pulling,” said DiGuiseppi, a professor in the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz.
“We also see cutting and burning – particularly in adolescents confronting mental health challenges. This extends up to death by suicide.”
See related story: Easing Anxiety for Autistic Kids in School
Raising awareness and keeping autistic youth and adults safe are the goals of DiGuiseppi’s research, which looks at the intersection of injuries, self-harm and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the autistic community.
“We’re looking at an opportunity for neurotypical folks to compassionately learn a bit more about how autistic people see and interact with the world, as well as the challenges they face.”
In the following Q&A, DiGuiseppi shares more about her research and offers steps that parents, caregivers and communities can take to improve the physical – as well as mental – safety of autistic people.