Clinical trials

This pilot randomized controlled trial will recruit 90 autistic adolescents aged 13-18 years with recent suicidal thoughts or behaviors from Geha Mental Health Center in Israel. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either (1) the intervention group receiving the Visual Safety Plan for Autistic Youth (VSP-AY) plus standard care, or (2) the control group receiving treatment as usual without VSP-AY. Mental health professionals delivering VSP-AY will complete a 6-hour training with ongoing supervision throughout the study. Outcomes will be assessed at three timepoints: baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and one-month follow-up (T2). The study will evaluate feasibility through recruitment and completion rates, acceptability through satisfaction questionnaires and qualitative interviews, and preliminary effectiveness through standardized measures of suicidal ideation (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale), non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI-AT), and depression (Children's Depression Inventory).