Best Practices in Sex Education for Autistic Learners

Abstract

The purpose of sex education is to facilitate the gaining of knowledge, skills, and values to make healthy and informed sexual decisions. There is limited research on sexuality and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the field of behavior analysis, but we do know that people with such conditions tend to have less sexual knowledge than their neurotypical peers. As parents, educators, and service providers, we can share information on sexual behavior in effective ways tailored to the developmental abilities of those we serve on the autism spectrum, empowering them to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and values. This presentation will describe current challenges related to sexuality and disabilities, review current behavior analytic research on sexuality, and discuss best practices for teaching learners about sexuality to improve health, safety, and quality of life.