A researcher works to untangle the reasons and raise awareness to help keep the autistic community safe
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.
