Retrospective and Prospective Analysis of Suicide Risk Screening Among Children and Adults with Neurodevelopmental and Other Disabilities (Principal Investigator: Allison Gornik; IRB ID: IRB00371542)
At Kennedy Krieger Institute, our internal team is focused on understanding how suicide risk screening is working in everyday care and how it can be improved. This team is made up of clinicians and researchers with diverse expertise from across the Institute. In these internal projects, we are taking a closer look at how screening practices are working across clinics, what happens when a child screens positive for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and what types of additional support and follow-up steps our children are receiving as part of their care. We are also examining patterns in the data to better understand which groups of patients may be at higher risk and how that risk may change over time, especially among children with neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions. The goal is to use what we learn to strengthen screening and follow-up practices, so that concerns are identified early and every patient gets the support they need.
Exploring Suicide Risk in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Principal Investigator: Allison Gornik; IRB ID: IRB00470547)
This project aims to study how different factors, such as specific co-occurring diagnostic profiles and difficulties with thinking, behavior, and emotional regulation, affect risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). We also seek to understand how other aspects, like family background, neighborhood environment, and access to resources, contribute to that risk. By studying the unique contributions of a child’s development and their environment, we hope to create a more complete picture of what specific characteristics and factors put children with NDDs at risk for STBs. To do this, we are using a large, diverse dataset of over 3,000 children who have been evaluated and received universal suicide screening within the Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment at Kennedy Krieger Institute. A key innovation of this study is our focus on understanding not just whether a child has a specific diagnosis, but how different transdiagnostic challenges, such as difficulty with learning, impulsivity, or emotion regulation, may combine to heighten their risk of STBs. Our findings will help medical and mental health providers better identify children within the NDD population who are at the greatest risk, enabling closer monitoring and potentially earlier, more targeted interventions for suicide prevention.
A Comparison of Two Brief Suicide Prevention Interventions Tailored for Youth on the Autism Spectrum (Principal Investigator: Paul Lipkin; IRB ID: IRB00242066)
A multi-center research team, led by investigators at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of North Carolina and including investigators at Kennedy Krieger, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Seattle Children’s Hospital, is partnering with autistic individuals, family members and clinicians (Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engage Together [AASET]), to tailor the Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), an evidence-based brief suicide prevention intervention, for autistic youth. This study addresses a major decisional dilemma faced by key stakeholders – which tailored suicide prevention approach works best for autistic youth? The study’s aim is to compare the effectiveness of SPI tailored for autistic youth (SPI-ASD) relative to a multi-component approach consisting of SPI-ASD plus structured follow-up (SPI-ASD+) in a diverse sample autistic youth (ages 12-24) who screen positive for suicide risk during a routine clinical appointment.
Validating the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) for Youth with Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Principal Investigator: Paul Lipkin; IRB ID: IRB 00331216)
Currently, no gold standard is available for evaluating suicidal thoughts and behaviors in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD). Moreover, youth with ASD/NDD are often excluded from instrument validation studies. Therefore, there is a lack of adequately adapted and validated clinical suicide risk assessments for use with clients with ASD/NDD. The goal of this study is to develop and assess the efficacy of a suicide screening tool for individuals with ASD/NDD funded through The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).