2008/01/01 by Amanda L. Sullivan, Linda C. Caterino · 175 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Autism #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Clinical psychology #Developmental psychology #Family and Disability Support Research #Gender studies #Human sexuality #Medicine #Psychology #Sex education #Sexual identity #Sexuality education #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1353/etc.0.0001
published in Education and Treatment of Children 31(1), 381-394 (Springer Science+Business Media)
openalex publication_date 2008/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
This paper addresses the need for sexuality education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. It provides a brief overview of autism and Asperger’s Syndrome as well as a summary of the existing literature regarding the sexuality of this population. The existing research suggests that there is a high frequency of sexual behaviors among individuals with these disorders. A number of these behaviors may become problematic for caregivers and service providers because they violate societal norms regarding appropriate interpersonal behavior and may jeopardize the inclusion of this group in educational and community settings. The existing sex education programs for individuals with ASD are reviewed, highlighting the major components of programs tailored to this population.