Suicide is a leading cause of death for autistic people worldwide, but there is remarkably little research addressing suicide prevention strategies in this group. 3962 autistic people and 627 people who supported or were bereaved by the suicide of an autistic person participated in online surveys on ideas for policies and interventions to prevent suicide in autistic people. 

The idea that garnered most support was the upskilling and resourcing of healthcare services to deliver timely, autism-specific support, and the improvement of diagnostic services, ensuring autistic people not diagnosed in childhood are assessed accurately, quickly, and with sensitive post-diagnostic care. Other priorities identified emphasised a social, societal response to suicide in autistic people, one where reducing stigma and providing social support were favored over crisis apps, and where support should be embedded across the life course in relation to education, employment, and social care in the community.

These findings corroborate international calls for autism-specific support for people in crisis, delivered by those with specialist knowledge. The results also highlight the relationship between suicide prevention and timely autism diagnosis, and the essential need for post-diagnostic care. Mirroring shifts in national and international suicide prevention policy, participant priorities extend the focal point of suicide prevention beyond individuals in crisis, emphasising the need for coordinated, multisector efforts to address systemic societal determinants of suicide: a strategic and expansive perspective thus far lacking in an autism context.