Participatory Development of a Suicide Prevention Program for Autism Community Organizations

Participatory research is critical for developing appropriate and effective programs for specific communities. Suicide is a health inequity for autistic people and prevention is a high priority for autistic community members. Using community-based participatory research with autistic partners, we aimed to develop a research-informed, conceptually grounded, and community-supported suicide prevention program for the autism community. The participatory, multistep program development process included regular meetings to integrate existing research with an established intervention framework and was informed by 38 qualitative research interviews with autistic adults, family members, and mental health providers. The development process resulted in a four-part, virtual, education and community empowerment program-Forming Love around Autistic People to Prevent Suicide (FLAPS)-aimed at supporting organizations to engage in multilevel suicide prevention efforts. Participatory research that meaningfully engages autistic community partners can support the development of promising programs to promote suicide prevention for autistic people.