✔️8 ways to prevent the worst

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day

2X Match: Ends at Midnight

Dear -,

With Keith’s message below providing crucial context, I wanted to follow up with a few actions you can take now to protect your loved ones in the autism community.

1. Pay Attention: Watch for behavior changes, and never trivialize or dismiss words or actions indicating suicidal thoughts.

2. Talk About It: Create an environment for open and honest communication about feelings.

3. Prevent Bullying: Stay connected to what's happening at school or work, and loop in teachers or employers when something's wrong.

4. Reduce Social Isolation: Be friendly, engage with your community, and model social skills.

5. Promote Healthy Lifestyles: Sleep, movement, good food, and mindfulness all help regulate mood.

6. Monitor Medication Side Effects: Some mood and behavior medications can increase suicidal ideation. Stay in close contact with the prescribing doctor.

7. Place Barriers on Lethal Means: If you have concerns, secure anything at home that could cause harm.

8. Act Quickly: If you recognize suicidal tendencies, reach out to a professional immediately.

Please also consider making a MATCHED donation to Autism Speaks today. With your help, we connect thousands of people with autism and their families to FREE, evidence-based support every day through services like the Autism Response Team.

Thank you for your attention this World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s not an easy topic to talk about – which is exactly why we should be talking about it.

With gratitude,

Kelli Seely

Chief Marketing Officer

Autism Speaks

------ Forward ------

From: Keith Wargo, Autism Speaks
Sent: Wednesday, September 9
To: -
Subject: As a dad, this is the data I can't shake > > >

Dear -,

My favorite part of this job is getting to celebrate the people in this extraordinary community. But today, I have an obligation to address a sobering reality.

Autistic people are far more likely to attempt suicide than non-autistic people. The gap is widest among adults – nearly twenty-five times. It's a gap that shouldn't exist and closing it is the whole reason we're here.

As the father of an autistic young adult, these numbers stay with me. What they point to isn't autism. It's everything that hasn't been built around it. Support that ends when school does. Providers who've never been trained on working with autistic people. The one in nine autistic children in the U.S. who can't get the healthcare they need, including mental health care. Families are figuring it out alone. They shouldn't have to.

That’s why, this World Suicide Prevention Day, I’m asking you to make a MATCHED gift. Your support ensures that Autism Speaks is always ready to connect autistic people and their families with vital support. Can I count on you?

Your MATCHED gift keeps this free and available to anyone who needs it:

• A real person on the phone through the Autism Response Team
• A community to experience at an Empower Walk
• Answers in our Resource Guide, free and easy to search

Together, we can ensure no one ever navigates the autism journey alone – and right now, your next gift will make DOUBLE the impact. Give before midnight to send 2X the resources, support, and LOVE to the autism community this World Suicide Prevention Day.

Regardless of how much or how often, your selfless contribution WILL change lives for the better.

Thank you,

Keith Wargo

President & CEO

Autism Speaks

PS: If you need emotional support, call or text 988 to reach the national mental health hotline.

Autism Speaks, 50 F Street, Suite 360, Washington, DC 20001

Mailing address, P.O. Box 37148, Boone, IA 50037

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Match applies only to donations made through the online form. Does not apply to previous donations, donations made offline, or donations made to Walk or other fundraising campaigns.

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Data sourced from Conner, C. M., Ionadi, A., & Mazefsky, C. A. (2023). Recent Research Points to a Clear Conclusion: Autistic People are Thinking About, and Dying by, Suicide at High Rates. The Pennsylvania journal on positive approaches, 12(3), 69–76.