MiOTA Fall Conference 2026

Name: The Occupation of Suicide: How People with Autism die at Alarming Rates due to Suicide
Start: 2026-10-02T13:00:00-0500
End: 2026-10-02T14:00:00-0500

Welcome to MiOTA’s Fall Conference 2026!

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

The Occupation of Suicide: How People with Autism die at Alarming Rates due to Suicide

Friday October 2, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Beethoven (96)

In the United States, suicide ranks as a leading cause of death among individuals with autism. Compared to non-autistic adults, those with autism are significantly more prone to thoughts, behaviors, and feelings surrounding suicide. Youth with autism face a higher risk; according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, they are three times more likely to suffer from depression and eight times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and actions than their non-autistic peers. As the number of people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder continues to grow in the United States, it becomes crucial for occupational therapists to understand the risk factors, signs, and mental health issues linked to suicidality in both youth and adults with autism. Using the Occupational Adaptation Model and the Ecology of Human Performance model, occupational therapists can intervene in these situations and help this population with this specific problem in practice.

References:

Autistic burnout explained. Embrace Autism. (2026, March 6). https://embrace-autism.com/autistic-burnout/#:~:text=This%20can%20delay%20awareness%20of,Josyfon%20et%20al.%2C%202023)

Dunn, W., Brown, C., & McGuigan, A. (1994). The ecology of human performance: A framework for considering the effect of context. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 48, 595-607.
Guan, J., & Li, G. (2017). Injury mortality in individuals with autism. American Journal of Public Health, 107(5), 791–793. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2017.303696
Oswald, K. (n.d.). Autistic burnout: What it is and how to prevent it presenter: Katie Oswald. https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/neurodiversity/documents/SIGNeurodiversity/Katie-Oswald-Autistic-Burnout-presentation-March-2022.pdf
Pelton, M.K., Crawford, H., Robertson, A.E. et al. Understanding Suicide Risk in Autistic Adults: Comparing the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in Autistic and Non-autistic Samples. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 3620–3637 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04393
Marshall, C. A., Crowley, P., Carmichael, D., Goldszmidt, R., Aryobi, S., Holmes, J., Easton, C., Isard, R., & Murphy, S. (2022). Effectiveness of Suicide Safety Planning Interventions: A systematic review informing occupational therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 90(2), 208–236.

Speakers

Katherine Nurss

Student, Eastern Michigan University

Katherine(Katie)Nurss is an Occupational Therapy student at Eastern Michigan University. When she was diagnosed with Autism at age three, she had Occupational Therapy and wished to pursue Occupational Therapy to help others like her. She wishes to specialize in neurorehabilitation... Read More →

Friday October 2, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Beethoven (96)

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MiOTA Fall Conference 2026

Katherine Nurss

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MiOTA Fall Conference 2026

Katherine Nurss

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