Autism & Safety Facts - National Autism Association

Drowning is among the leading causes of death of individuals with autism. Visit our water safety page for tools and handouts.

This page has information about suicide and suicide prevention. For help 24/7, please call or text the U.S. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Overall Mortality

In 2008, Danish researchers found that the mortality risk among the autism population is twice as high as the general population
In 2001, a California research team found elevated deaths in autism and attributed it to several causes, including seizures and accidents such as suffocation and drowning

In 2017, a study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that deaths in individuals with autism increased 700 percent in the past 16 years and were three times as likely as in the general population to be caused by injuries. It also found that children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning as the general pediatric population
A growing number of research studies have found that autistic youth and adults appear to have higher rates of suicidal thoughts, plans, or behaviors than other people do. As a group, their suicide risk may be two to seven times higher than the risk for youth and adults who do not have autism.^1-5

Wandering/Elopement

Roughly half, or 49%, of children with autism attempt to elope from a safe environment, a rate nearly four times higher than their unaffected siblings, according to a study published in Pediatrics
In a six-year study of Mortality & Risk association with autism wandering/elopement, the National Autism Association found that accidental drowning accounted for 71% of deaths
According to a study published in Pediatrics, nearly one-third of wandering incidents occurred from a school setting; more than one-third of children with autism who wander/elope are never or rarely able to communicate their name, address, or phone number; and 40% of parents experience sleep disruption due to fear of elopement
According to research from the National Autism Association, nearly half of wandering incidents occur under non-parent supervision

Children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning as the general pediatric population.

Suicidality

A growing number of research studies suggest autistic youth and adults appear to have higher rates of suicidal thoughts, plans, or behaviors than other people do. As a group, their suicide risk may be two to seven times higher than the risk for youth and adults who do not have autism.^1-5

Children with autism experience suicidality at a younger age than their peers without autism, according to study results published in JAMA Pediatrics. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors were present among children with autism who were aged 8 and younger
In a landmark study out of Sweden, researchers found the highest rate of suicide attempts and death by suicide among autistic people who do not have intellectual disability. Within that group, the autistic people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, had the highest rate of all. About 1 in 10 of them had attempted suicide, a rate that is seven times higher than the comparison group
Autistic people who have been *reported to have an intellectual disability also had a higher risk of suicide attempts, about double the risk of the comparison group *NAA believes many of these individuals are assumed to have IDD based on testing methods that do not account for, nor have been adjusted for, the unique presentation of these individuals
One in five females who had both autism and ADHD (but not intellectual disability) had attempted suicide at least once
Parents can seek help from their children’s doctor or therapist, and by calling or texting the U.S.Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. If they believe their children may try to harm themselves in the near future, parents can take them to the emergency room

Restraint/Seclusion

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation reported that thousands of students have been physically injured and emotionally traumatized as the result of restraint and seclusion
Currently there is no federal law that prohibits the use of restraints that restrict breathing, and locked seclusion, in public and private schools.

Dangers include: Death by asphyxiation; Bodily injury; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Heart, gastrointestinal and pulmonary complications; Decreased appetite and malnutrition; Dehydration; Urinary tract infections; Incontinence; Agitation; Depression/withdrawal; Loss of dignity; Sleeping problems; Humiliation; Anxiety; Increased phobias; Increased aggression, including SIB (self-injurious behavior)

Source: United States Government Accountability Office, Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Center (2009)

Bullying

65% of parents reported that their children with Asperger’s syndrome had been victimized by peers in some way within the past year
47% reported that their children had been hit by peers
50% reported them to be scared by their peers
9% were attacked by a gang and hurt in the private parts
12% indicated their child had never been invited to a birthday party
6% were almost always picked last for teams
3% ate alone at lunch every day

Source: Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing (2009)

Sexual Abuse

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls suffer from sexual abuse before the age of 18.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, the country’s largest and most reliable crime study, reports that every two minutes a person is sexually victimized in the United States—and the numbers for individuals with disabilities are even higher.
A study done in Nebraska of 55,000 children showed a child with any type of intellectual disability was four times more likely to be sexually abused than a child without disabilities (Sullivan & Knutson, 2000). While no specific numbers exist for individuals with autism, research suggests that this population is extremely vulnerable.