Autistic Children more Likely to Display Suicidal Tendencies

Children who suffer from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to display suicidal tendencies than normal children.

Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine reached the conclusion after looking at nearly 800 autistic children. Angela Gorman and colleagues compared them to 186 normal children and 35 depressed children without the disorder. All the participants were aged between one and 16.

Researchers collected information from parents and looked at different demographic variables like ethnicity, age, gender and socioeconomic status. The study, published in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, found that autistic children were at a 28 times higher risk of planning or attempting suicide compared to normal children. However, compared to depressed non-autistic children, the risk was three times less.

"We were looking at suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among children with autism versus those that didn't have autism," Gorman said in a news release. "What we found is that there were some risk factors that were much more greatly associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than others."

A closer examination showed the tendency more common among boys than girls, black (33 percent) than whites (13 percent), children with a low socioeconomic status and children aged 10 or older. Majority of the autistic children (71 percent) with all the four demographic factors had either contemplated or attempted suicide.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which starts normally by age 3, is a developmental disorder that leads to significant social, communication and behavioral changes. Nearly one in every 88 children in the United States is affected with this disorder.

Till date, no medical or blood test is available for an early diagnosis of this condition, which stays throughout a person's life. Autism starts normally by the age of 3 and is diagnosed by the age of 5. The child's behavior and development are some factors used by health practitioners to determine the disorder.

Previous studies have highlighted autistic children at the risks of many complex health issues, including anxiety, chronic gastrointestinal (GI) problems, atypical sensory responses (heightened reactions to light, sound or particular textures) and feeding problems.

Apart from that, a 2012 study that appeared in Pediatrics showed autistic children at a higher risk of running away or wandering off from safe places.