Cases On Teaching Sexuality Education To Individuals With Autism

There are several reasons for providing sexuality education to individuals with autism including supporting healthy development and preventing undesirable outcomes. Supporting healthy development is predicated on notions that humans are inherently sexual beings and that knowledge about sexual development can empower the individual and contribute to more satisfying outcomes. Individuals with autism are at risk for poor outcomes in each of these areas, and specialized sexuality education may help reduce this risk. Ultimately, providing sexuality education to individuals with autism should lead to tangible, observable, and valuable outcomes that improve quality of life. However, many families, teachers, and therapists struggle with how to teach sexuality education to people with autism. Cases on Teaching Sexuality Education to Individuals With Autism is a critical scholarly resource that provides real case studies that show teachers, behavior analysts, and other stakeholders how to address sexuality education and problem behaviors using evidence-based practices. The case studies detail how teachers and therapists make treatment decisions, include family values and cultural beliefs in treatment, and use data to drive treatment decisions. Featuring a wide range of topics such as developmental disabilities, psychosexual development, and special education, this book is ideal for teachers, parents, therapists, behavior analysts, educational professionals, academicians, administrators, curriculum developers, researchers, and students.

There are several reasons for providing sexuality education to individuals with autism including supporting healthy development and preventing undesirable outcomes. Supporting healthy development is predicated on notions that humans are inherently sexual beings and that knowledge about sexual development can empower the individual and contribute to more satisfying outcomes. Individuals with autism are at risk for poor outcomes in each of these areas, and specialized sexuality education may help reduce this risk. Ultimately, providing sexuality education to individuals with autism should lead to tangible, observable, and valuable outcomes that improve quality of life. However, many families, teachers, and therapists struggle with how to teach sexuality education to people with autism. Cases on Teaching Sexuality Education to Individuals With Autism is a critical scholarly resource that provides real case studies that show teachers, behavior analysts, and other stakeholders how to address sexuality education and problem behaviors using evidence-based practices. The case studies detail how teachers and therapists make treatment decisions, include family values and cultural beliefs in treatment, and use data to drive treatment decisions. Featuring a wide range of topics such as developmental disabilities, psychosexual development, and special education, this book is ideal for teachers, parents, therapists, behavior analysts, educational professionals, academicians, administrators, curriculum developers, researchers, and students.

Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) require specialized teaching strategies when learning about puberty, sexuality and relationships. This professional resource offers practical teaching advice geared towards the needs of young people on the autism spectrum. Beginning with information on good practice, policy, teaching methods and recent research, the book then divides into key sex education topics that assist professionals in developing their own individualized and developmentally appropriate curricula. Covering issues of gender, public and private, puberty, hygiene, emotions, sex and more, each topic provides an overview of the difficulties that children with autism might experience, discussion and activity ideas and photocopiable resources including instructional stories, checklists and illustrations. The final section demonstrates how to respond to ongoing patterns of inappropriate behaviour and put together a behaviour plan. Aiming to explain and support the child's developing sexuality while also addressing crucial issues of safety, this book is a much-needed teaching manual for all professionals working with children and young adults with autism including educators in mainstream and special education, psychologists, therapists and social workers.

With a unique focus on Canada-wide practices and research, this text offers a comprehensive introduction to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Covering the clinical, educational, and community perspectives of ASD, the authors highlight how educators, direct support professionals, and communities at large can support people with ASD across their lifespan: from early years, to school years, to adulthood. Additionally, the authors emphasize the emerging nature of the field and the importance of evidence based interventions. The resource is divided into four thematic sections. Section one gives an overview of ASD, including prominent researchers in the field and changes in its diagnostic criteria. Section two looks at evidence-based interventions and the newer sensory theories and frameworks. The third section examines ASD across the lifespan, as well as the experiences of parents and families. The final section looks at additional critical issues, including media, sexuality, peer relationships, and immigration. Beyond being a vital asset for ASD programs and resource centres across the country, Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Canadian Context has broad applications suitable for courses on ASD in behavioural science, education, and health studies programs. FEATURES: - Each chapter features figures, definitions, examples, and questions designed to deepen understanding and elicit reflection - Includes feature boxes with interesting perspectives provided by varied members of Canada’s ASD community - Unlike other textbooks on ASD, this text focuses on ASD across the lifespan, covering infancy, early childhood and school years, as well as adulthood, in the Canadian context

"Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often not provided with the sexuality education they require in order to be independent and active members of their communities as adults. When this education is lacking, these individuals are put at risk for potentially engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviors or becoming victims of abuse. This case study sought to explore how a private special education school addresses sexuality education with its student population. The social relational model of disability was utilized as a lens through which to view the provision of sexuality education by identifying specific barriers that exist. This study was driven by the research question: How has the Babcock School promoted sexuality-related skills for adolescents and young adults with ASD and intellectual disabilities based upon staff perceptions of the effectiveness of the curriculum in place? Using a qualitative approach, more specifically an intrinsic case study, the researcher conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with staff members at different levels within the organization. Participants were also observed conducting their typical job responsibilities. Documents related to staff training, student assessment, policies, and procedures were also analyzed to identify the preparation staff members had received in relation to sexuality education. The data revealed three themes related to the preparation and support required for staff members as well as the programming required for students. The results of the study suggest that highly specialized training and ongoing support are needed for direct service staff. This training not only sharpens staff members' skill levels, but it also increases their comfort when addressing these issues. In addition, as sexuality education is an important safety skill for this population, programming should be offered to all students and individualized to their specific needs. Independence should be a primary focus of sexuality education programming for students with ASD, specifically for self-care skills, in order to develop a concept of privacy and prevent them from being placed in a situation where abuse could occur"--Author's abstract.

Key social and emotional milestones during adolescence are often directly related to the abilities to initiate and maintain intimate relationships, maintain physically maturing bodies, and manage personal sexuality. Most adolescents with developmental disabilities have particular difficulty expressing sexuality in satisfying ways, consequently facing issues such as limited intimate relationships, low self-esteem, increased social isolation, deregulated emotional maintenance, reduced sexual functioning, and limited sexual health. Appropriate sexual knowledge assists not only in achieving personal fulfillment, but protection from mistreatment, abuse, unplanned pregnancies, or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It also works to help solve problems of loneliness and problems with self-esteem. This book will address this but also much more. Issues of physical and cognitive development will be discussed, including appropriate sexual development/urges and brain development, and innate similarities and differences of sexuality that could occur between people with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual or developmental disabilities, including the complexities of physical disabilities. The authors will also consider special considerations for group homes and recreational facilities, and specifically focus on concepts of ethics and models of consent (medical, legal, social, and educational), as well as how to deal with uncertainty.

Clinician’s Guide to Sexuality and Autism: A Guide to Sex Education for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders is the first book to provide clinicians with comprehensive curriculum of sexuality education skills for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Starting with the importance of teaching sexuality skills to people with autism, this book provides an outline and overview of the recommended teaching strategies (e.g., Behavioral Skills Training, Cool vs. Not Cool, video modeling). This book also reviews the fourteen skill domains directly related to sexuality, including the key skills one should acquire in each domain. A timeline focusing on what skills should be targeted at what age and what skills to teach across the lifespan are also discussed. The curriculum covers domains that are often neglected in sex education for people with different disabilities in general (e.g. values, types of relationships, gender identity, or preferences). Additionally, this curriculum addresses component skills of sexuality in a way that allows early teaching to build upon areas of learning systematically over time, thus likely to have an improvement in teaching over time. Identifies the importance of sex ed for autistic treatment Provides curriculum for teaching sex education to this clientele Includes skills relating to hygiene, online safety and abuse prevention Covers different teaching methods

A complete curriculum for teaching about sexual health and intimate relationships, taking into consideration the learning preferences, sensitivity, social and other issues characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Based on Nick Dubin's own experience, and drawing on the extensive knowledge of Dr Tony Attwood and Dr Isabelle Hénault, this important book addresses the issues surrounding the autism spectrum, sexuality and the law. The complex world of sex and appropriate sexual behaviour can be extremely challenging for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and, without guidance, many find themselves in vulnerable situations. This book examines how the ASD profile typically affects sexuality and how sexual development differs between the general population and those with ASD. It explains the legalities of sexual behaviour, how laws differ from country to country, and the possibility for adjustment of existing laws as they are applied to the ASD population. With advice on how to help people with autism spectrum disorder gain a better understanding of sexuality and a comprehensive list of resources, the book highlights the need for a more informed societal approach to the psychosexual development of people with ASD. A ground-breaking and honest account, this book will be an invaluable addition to the shelves of parents of children with ASD, mental health and legal professionals, teachers, carers and other professionals working with individuals on the spectrum.