Friday 6 September 2024
The Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge (ACE) is calling for urgent action from the Government following the tragic suicide of 12-year-old Riley Townsend who died on Sunday (1st September) following a long battle with mental health issues. Riley was autistic and had ADHD.
Sadly, Riley’s death is not an isolated case. Recent data from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) revealed the most common category of death in autistic children without a learning disability1 is ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’ – accounting for 35% of deaths.
Tom Purser, CEO of ACE said: “We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Riley’s family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
“Every preventable death is one too many, and the death of a child is all the more tragic. But sadly, this reflects the reality for autistic people, who are seven times more likely to die by suicide. We are calling for the new Government to take urgent action before any more vulnerable lives are lost.”
The NCMD data examined the deaths of 77 autistic children without a learning disability2. Of these, over a third (27) died by ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’. By comparison, this accounted for 14% of deaths in non-autistic children during the same period.
Tom continued: “Sadly, this is not new information. Previous NCMD reports about suicide in 2020 and 2021 highlighted similar concerns about autistic children. This cannot be ignored any longer.”
Riley’s death comes just ahead of public hearings in The Lampard Inquiry3 (starting 9th September), which is examining the deaths of over 2,000 people who received mental health inpatient care in Essex – a significant number are understood to have been autistic and many of whom are thought to have died by suicide.
“Autistic people are recognised as a priority group in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2023),” said Tom. “The Strategy itself addresses autism well, but its autism-specific action plan is woefully inadequate. It features just four actions, none of which are detailed enough to lead to timely progress needed to save lives.
“Despite the elevated risk being clearly evidenced and acknowledged, not enough progress has been made. Immediate and urgent action must be taken. We’re keen to work with the new Government on this issue and are requesting an urgent meeting to discuss how we can stop the ongoing tragedy of so many autistic children – and adults – dying by suicide. Every day we delay, more lives are lost.”
The Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge (ACE) exists to make a big difference; by funding and commissioning world-leading research, delivering projects which directly impact the lives of autistic people, and campaigning to achieve change. The charity’s number one priority is reducing suicide rates amongst autistic people.
Autism, Children and Suicide – The Facts
- 35% of deaths in autistic children without a learning disability1 were due to ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’.
- 14% of deaths in non-autistic children were due to ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’.
Editors Notes
- The Learning from deaths: Children with a learning disability and autistic children report, published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), analyses the deaths of all children aged between 4 and 17 in England between April 2019 and March 2022.
- Autistic children with a formal diagnosis and without a learning disability
- The Lampard Inquiry – investigating mental health deaths in Essex