Association For Child And Adolescent Mental Health (acamh)

DOI: 10.13056/acamh.18254 In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Ann Ozsivadjian, independent clinical psychologist and visiting senior lecturer at King’s College London, and Dr. Penny Williams, consultant speech and language therapist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Ann and Penny set the scene by explaining the difference between self-harm and self-injurious behaviours in the context of autistic children, and provide insight into how common self-harm is in autistic people, as well as what is currently understood about why autistic children and young people self-harm. In addition, Ann and Penny discuss whether there are certain situations that can act as triggers, how parents can help to reduce these stressors, where parents can get help for an autistic child who is harming themselves, and what support can they expect to receive. We also hear about nonverbal strategies that can help when it comes to self-injurious behaviour. Furthermore, Ann and Penny also talk to us about whether there is a lin