Self-Harm in Children and Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Self-harm is a major mental health concern for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as its prevalence in individuals with ASD is purportedly higher than for typically developing young people. Consequently, this has been associated with a significant increase in risk of psychiatric hospitalisation, reactive physical intervention, parental stress, staff burnout and exclusion from mainstream services. Despite this, there is currently very limited research investigating self-harm in young people with ASD, with the majority focusing on populations of adolescents with co-morbid intellectual disability (ID). However, a high proportion of individuals with ASD have borderline, average or above average IQ leaving this high-risk population underrepresented in the existing literature.
Additionally, two key risk markers associated with self-harm in youth with autism have been identified; low mood and behaviours indicative of impaired behavioural control. These risk makers suggest the aetiology and maintenance of self-harm in young people with ASD may be underpinned by affective and cognitive mechanisms. However, data included individuals with and without co-morbid ID, and was comprised via parental reports. Therefore, future research warrants investigation into self-harm in adolescents with ASD without co-morbid ID, using more direct methodology to examine the putative associations between self-harm, affect dysregulation and impaired inhibition. This would be advantageous to inform service provision and facilitate the development and delivery of more targeted interventions.
The PhD will comprise two central studies, combining epidemiological and experimental methodologies: a large scale survey and an experimental study of affective and cognitive characteristics associated with self-harm.