Suicide Prevention and Neurodivergent Youth: Keeping Our Kids Safe



Date & Location
Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 8:00 AM - Sunday, July 22, 2029, 10:30 AM

Credits
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (2.50 hours), ASWB Social Work Credit(s) (2.50 hours), CME-Designated Participation Credit (2.50 hours)

Overview

This training offers a foundational overview of neurodivergence, with a specific focus on Autism. Participants will explore how suicide prevention principles can be adapted and applied through the lens of neurodiversity and trauma-informed care. The session will highlight unique risk and protective factors impacting neurodivergent individuals, as well as the critical role provider bias can play in care outcomes. This workshop aims to equip providers, educators, residential treatment staff, and mental health professionals with practical insights to deliver more inclusive, responsive, and effective support.

Presenters

Kelly Smith, MSW, LICSW
Consultant
Self-employed

Kelly Smith has spent her 30+ year career working with children/families who have experienced abuse and neglect. Kelly has traveled the world working with children in orphanages and foster care preparing them to be adopted by parents in the US. She has also worked in NH for 30 years as a therapist and consultant working with individuals and families with neurodevelopmental disabilities as a result of issues related to trauma, attachment and loss. Kelly is the Director of Training for NH CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Kelly works for the Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center, training clinicians and staff across NH to work with individuals with a trauma history, neurodevelopmental disabilities and/or gender diversity. Personally, Kelly has been with her spouse since 2000. They have six young adults that they have birthed, fostered, supported through guardianship and/or been a safe refuge to.

Micah Peace Urquilla, BA
National Center for START Services
Louisville, KY

Micah Peace Urquilla is a multiply Disabled community organizer, researcher, and educator from Louisville, KY. Micah has been working for over a decade in the Disability community and has experienced working with other Disabled folks across the lifespan in a wide variety of roles and settings at the local, state, and national levels, from the classroom to the community, to the Hill. They are a founding member of the Kentuckiana Autistic Spectrum Alliance (KASA), a peer support and social group by and for Neurodivergent Adults serving Central Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Micah has been working with Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center since 2022 as a consultant, trainer and Advisory Board member on Project ATTAIN. They have co-created and co-trained on topics related to neurodiversity, gender diversity, trauma and mental health. They also work at the National Center for START Services where they serve as a Co-Investigator of a PCORI-funded Telehealth study and contribute to NCSS training & programming to uplift self-advocate voices & experiences. Micah's professional interests include participatory research; peer mentoring and other forms of popular education; and the intersections between I/DD, systemic experiences of oppression or marginalization, and trauma. Micah holds a B.A. in Integrative Studies with concentrations in Organizational Leadership, Social Justice, and Psychology from Northern Kentucky University (NKU).


Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this learning activity, participants will be able to:

  1. Define neurodivergence, including unique risk and protective factors related to suicidality in neurodivergent populations.
  2. Examine how provider bias can influence assessment and intervention.
  3. Apply neurodiversity-affirming principles and trauma-informed practice to suicide prevention.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Dartmouth Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

American Medical Association (AMA)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 2.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Dartmouth Health is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 2.50 general continuing education credits.

Social Worker Account Setup

If you wish to apply for ASWB credit, you will need to enter your license number in your CE Profile by following these steps:

  1. Log in to Dartmouth Health's CE portal (https://dh.cloud-cme.com).

  2. From the My Account Menu, select Profile.

  3. Ensure your degree and profession are accurately reflected.

  4. Enter the state license type, License #, and Expiration date.

  5. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Submit.

All other learners may claim CME-designated participation credit. Consult your professional licensing board regarding the applicability and acceptance of CME-designated participation credit for programs certified for credit by organizations accredited by Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Education.


Registration/Requirements for Successful Completion
You may claim credit for successful completion of this online course. In order to claim credit, you must follow these steps:

  1. Click the Register tab above. If you are not logged into your account, you will need to log in. Use the Forgot Your Password? button if you need to reset your password.

  2. Register for the activity.

  3. Click the Content/Tests tab and then View Content to view the recording. View the entire presentation.

  4. Complete the Post-Test (attestation - return to the Content/Tests tab to find it).

  5. Click the Complete Evaluation button, or click My Account in the menu bar; then click Evaluations.

  6. Complete and Submit the Evaluation.


Bibliographic Material

  • Arwert, T. G., & Sizoo, B. B. (2020). Self-reported Suicidality in Male and Female Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Rumination and Self-esteem. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(10), 3598 3605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020- 04372-z

  • Baumer, N., & Frueh, J. (2021). What is Neurodiversity? Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645

  • Goodwin, J., Gordon, I., O'Keeffe, S., Carling, S., Berresford, A., Bhattarai, N., Heslop, P., Nielsen, E., O'Connor, R. C., Ogundimu, E., Pelton, M., Ramsay, S. E., Rodgers, J., Townsend, E., Vale, L., Wilson, C., & Cassidy, S. (2025). Adapting Safety Plans for Autistic Adults with Involvement from the Autism Community. Autism in Adulthood, 7(3), 293 302. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0124

  • Hink, A. B., Killings, X., Bhatt, A., Ridings, L. E., & Andrews, A. L. (2022). Adolescent Suicide-Understanding Unique Risks and Opportunities for Trauma Centers to Recognize, Intervene, and Prevent a Leading Cause of Death. Current trauma reports, 8(2), 41 53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40719-022-00223-7

  • Hua, L.L., Lee, J., Rahmandar, M.H., Sigel, E.J., COMMITTEE ON ADOLESCENCE, & COUNCIL ON INJURY, VIOLENCE, AND POISON PREVENTION. (2024). Suicide and Suicide Risk in Adolescents. Pediatrics, 153 (1): e2023064800. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-064800

  • Morgan, L., Maddox, B., Kirby, A., Ackerman, J., Benevides, T., Cook, M., Farmer, W., Jager-Hyman, S., Moubray, E., Schwartzman, J., & Souders N. (2024). 988 Information for the Suicide Community. Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup. Retrieved from: https://www.autismcrisissupport.com/resources

  • Morgan, L., Maddox, B., Cassidy, S., Benevides, T., Donahue, M., & Pelton, M. (2021). Warning Signs of Suicide for Autistic People: An autism-specific resource based on research findings and expert consensus. Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup. Retrieved from: https://www.autismcrisissupport.com/resources

  • Morgan, L., Maddox, B., Ackerman, J., Benevides, T., Cook, M., Farmer, W., Jager-Hyman, S., Kirby, A., Moubray, E., & Schwartzman, J. (2023). Reasons for Living: A Suicide Prevention Resource for Autistic Individuals. Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup. Retrieved from: https://www.autismcrisissupport.com/resources

  • Morgan, L., & Maddox, B. (2023). Crisis Supports for the Autism Community. Retrieved from: https://www.autismcrisissupport.com/resources

  • Morgan, L., & Maddox, B. (2020). Autism Resource for Warning Signs of Suicide: Considerations for the Autism Community. Developed in Collaboration with the American Association of Suicidology's Autism and Suicide Committee. Retrieved from: https://www.autismcrisissupport.com/resources

  • Mosely, R.L., Gregory, N.J., Smith, P., Allison, C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2019) A choice , an addiction , a way out of the lost : Exploring self-injury in autistic people without intellectual disability. Molecular Autism, 10, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-019-0267-3 Plain English Version: https://www.scienceonthespectrum.net/nssi-2019

  • Pelton, M. K., Crawford, H., Bul, K., Robertson, A. E., Adams, J., de Beurs, D., Rodgers, J., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2023). The role of anxiety and depression in suicidal thoughts for autistic and non-autistic people: A theory-driven network analysis. Suicide & life-threatening behavior, 53(3), 426 442. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12954

  • Pelton, M.K., Crawford, H., Robertson, A.E. et al. (2020). 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. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04393-8

  • Rodgers, J., Cassidy, S., Pelton, M., Goodwin, J., Wagnild, J., Bhattarai, N., ... & Vale, L. (2024). Feasibility and acceptability of autism adapted safety plans: an external pilot randomised controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine, 73.

  • Rodgers, J., Goodwin, J., Nielsen, E., Bhattarai, N., Heslop, P., Kharatikoopaei, E., ... & Cassidy, S. (2023). Adapted suicide safety plans to address self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide behaviours in autistic adults: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. Pilot and feasibility studies, 9(1), 31.

  • Sturgeon, J. A., & Zautra, A. J. (2016). Social pain and physical pain: shared paths to resilience. Pain management, 6(1), 63 74. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4869967

RESOURCES

Suicide and Safety Screening Resources

We recommend following guidelines of your practice setting. Screening tools like the Columbia and ASQ are standard practice. You may need to follow up with additional questions with the individual to get more information and Autism Crisis Supports is a good resource to use in conjunction with these.

Provider Contact Information
Provider contact information for questions regarding accreditation of the activity:

Center for Learning and Professional Development
ACE Office
Dartmouth Health
[email protected]