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Autism, Online Offending, and Victimization
Individuals on the autism spectrum are particularly vulnerable to committing online offenses, in many instances unwittingly. They are also victimized by online predators, financial scams, and extremist groups. Consequently, they are increasingly interacting with the criminal justice system as...
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Working to Prevent Suicide in Youth with Autism
This article contains information about suicide and suicide prevention. For help 24/7, please call or text the U.S. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. After being bullied at school, the preteen boy came to believe that no one would care if he died. His therapist, whom he had been seeing for...
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Autism and Adolescence: For Many, the Most Challenging Time of Life
It is a well-known conventional wisdom that adolescence, or the teenage years, are a difficult time of life for everybody and that this has probably been the case since time immemorial. It is equally well known in the autism community that middle school (or, as it was known in my day, junior high...
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Diagnosing Depression in Autistic Individuals
This is the first of two articles about depression in people with autism. Part 2 is The Art and Science of Treating Depression in Autism. This article discusses topics that may be upsetting to some people. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free, confidential support 24/7 at 1...
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Developing Confidence and Standing Up for Myself
After I lost my mom to dementia, I had very little confidence in myself. I had no voice. People would express their opinions and I would never tell others my perspective because I had no confidence. I could not stand up for myself. If I tried, I would wind up crying instead. I let myself get...
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Supporting Adolescents with Autism Using Technology to Interact with Peers
Friendships are a vital part of adolescence. Friends provide advice and help with navigating through tough topics. As children grow into adolescence, they begin to rely more on the opinions of friends than parents to make sense of the world. Thus, adolescent friendships are an important resource...
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The First Step in Bullying Prevention Is Normalizing Our Differences
“When I was young, getting through each day wasn’t just hard, it was painful to my soul. In school I was cast aside, manipulated and laughed at. Friendships were made solely based on the bond my classmates would form over their common interest in teasing me. My teachers didn’t understand me,...
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Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk. Research...
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The Link Between Autism and Suicide Risk
Mr. A, a middle-aged chemist, came to a Baltimore emergency room after a suicide attempt. He said he was “thoroughly depressed.” He had been fired after throwing a chair at his boss, not his first outburst at work. Doctors admitted him to the hospital, where they became suspicious of his...
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Adults with Autism Face a Unique Set of Dangers and Hazards
The dangers and hazards of the world that are faced by autistic children and adolescents are very well known, and much has been said and written about them. Adults with autism, however, all too often face a variety of threats not frequently encountered by neurotypicals. I will be discussing these...
