What do I need to know about youth with disabilities and their sexuality?

Young people with disabilities are no different from other kids in their need to understand their bodies and relationships; they, too, need to undersand how their bodies work, and may have romantic longings and sexual interests.  The following resources cover the many aspects of disability, love, sex and puberty in a responsible, open and affirming manner.  Here is a good starting point and overview:

• Sexuality of Children and Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities—a 2006 policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 

Where can I find information about sexuality and youth with disabilities?
Web Resources:

• Sexuality Education for Children and Youth with Disabilities is a 37-page NICHCY (National Information Clearinghouse for Children and Youth with Disabilities) News Digest.  It gives a thorough overview of the topic, covering such issues as:  the definition of sexuality, social skills, developmental stages, particular disabilities, sexual orientation, reproduction, birth control, STDs, and sexual exploitation.
  
• Sexuality Education for People with Disabilities, Volume 29, Number 3 (2001) of SIECUS Report has articles about parents as sexuality educators, psychiatric disabilities, and policy. 
  
• Meeting the Needs of People with Developmental Disabilities is Volume 23, Number 4 (1995) of SIECUS Report.  It includes articles on sexuality education and sexual expression in people with mental retardation. 
  
• Sexuality and Developmental Disability: A Guide for Parents, from the Alberta, Canada initiative
  
• Sterilization of Minors With Developmental Disabilities—a 1999 policy statement from the AAP.
  
• Introduction to Sexuality Education for Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind and Significantly Developmentally Delayed—from Texas Deaf-Blind Outreach.  This is much like a curriculum, and provides good background and some specific content.  While it is written about children and teens who are Deaf-Blind, it is also an excellent general disabilities resource.  The chapters include an introduction, guidelines for developing a process for intervention and instruction, and topics such as modesty, appropriate touch and personal boundaries, menstruation, masturbation, sexual health care, sexual abuse, and a resources section.  This is a 126-page document.  If you are not able to download it due to its size, contact DB-Link about ordering a hard copy.
• Sexuality Education for Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Selected Resources, from dbpeds.org.
• Puberty and Children on the Autism Spectrum is part of The Autism Society of America’s (ASA) Living with Autism Series.
  
• Having a Daughter with a Disability:  Is It Different for Girls? is a NICHCY News Digest.  The section titled “Developing a Social World” addresses parenting issues related to disabled girls’ sexuality.
• Fact Sheet:  Sexuality and Intellectual Disability, from American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), answers many questions in an Q&A format
• Sexuality is a position statement from the Arc and the AAIDD.  It deals with the rights and responsibilities of people with disabilities relating to sexuality.
• Sexuality Education for Children with Visual Impairments is a literature and instructional resource review.
  

Recommended Reading:

• Sexuality: Your Sons and Daughters with Intellectual Disabilities, by Karin Melberg Schwier and Dave Hingsburger.
  Focuses mainly on Down syndrome, but could be useful for a child with other intellectual disabilities as well.
  
  
• Abuse of Children and Adults With Disabilities: A Risk Reduction and Intervention Guidebook for Parents and Other Advocates, by Nora Baladerian.
  Discusses the signs, symptoms and consequences of abuse, the abusers, how to report suspected abuse, intervention and provides examples of how to lower the risk of abuse.
  
  
• An Easy Guide for Caring Parents: Sexuality and Socialization: A Book for Parents of People with Mental Handicaps, by Lynn McKee and Virginia Blacklidge.
  Addresses the social needs of kids with mental disabilities. Discusses the role of parents in their children's sexuality education. Includes a thorough discussion of sexual development and discusses topics like growing up, responsible sexual behavior, masturbation, social life, sexual orientation, fertility and birth control, sexual abuse, and marriage.

• An Easy Guide to Loving Carefully for Men and Women, 4th edition, by Lyn McKee, Winifred Kempton, Lynne Stiggall-Muccigrosso.
  Written for individuals with limited reading and cognitive skills. Teaches about men’s and women’s bodies, sexual health and sexual feelings.  Practical information about preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
  

• Enabling Romance:  A Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships for the Disabled (and the People who Care About Them), by Ken Kroll and Erica Levy Klein
  Written by a husband and wife team-one of whom has a disability-this book debunks the myth that disabled equals asexual. The book includes candid personal stories and offers information on the social, romantic, and sexual requirements posed by a wide range of physical disabilities. Also contains resource lists. (Note: includes explicit illustrations.)

• Taking Charge: Teenagers Talk about Life and Physical Disabilities, by Kay Kriegsman, Elinor Zaslow and Jennifer D'Zmura-Rechsteiner.
  Includes chapters on the topics of Communication, Independence, Relationships, Dating and Sexuality.

• Caution:  Do Not Open Until Puberty! An Introduction to Sexuality for Young People with Disabilities, by Rick Enright.
  Written for kids with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, and other mobility disorders.

• Sex Education for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, by Mark Steege and Shannon L. Peck.
  More about this book.

• A Training Manual for Direct Care Staff, by Mark Steege and Shannon L. Peck.
  A manual designed to help direct care staff overcome their discomfort with the sexual behavior of individuals with mental retardation.  More about this book.

• Social Skills & Sex Education – Self Care for the Developmentally Delayed Adult, from Steege Publications.
  This set includes all that you need to give adults with intellectual disabilities their basic sex education and social skills training. It includes 2 cassette tapes, one on the body and its parts, the other on touch. It includes pictures to go with the tapes.  The script is also included in case you want to do the instruction yourself. The final piece of the set is a list of questions you can ask to determine how much comprehension has resulted from the instruction.  More about this set.

• Asperger's Syndrome And Sexuality: From Adolescence Through Adulthood, by Isabelle Henault.

• Doubly Silenced: Sexuality, Sexual Abuse and People with Developmental Disabilities, by Patricia Miles Patterson.
  Published in 1991 by the Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities.

• Easy for You to Say: Q and A's For Teens Living With Chronic Illness or Disabilities, by Miriam Kaufman
  Practical information for teens and their families, including medical issues and sexuality.

• Changes in You: A Clearly Illustrated, Simply Worded Explanation of the Changes of Puberty for Boys, and
  Changes in You: A Clearly Illustrated, Simply Worded Explanation of the Changes of Puberty for Girls, both by Peggy C. Siegel.
  Simple language, and easy to read.

• Sexuality and Disability—this annotated bibliography from SIECUS has an extensive list of books, and includes ordering information and a list of organizations.

Organizations:

• SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) is a national, nonprofit organization, which affirms that sexuality is a natural and healthy part of living.  SIECUS develops, collects, and disseminates information, promotes comprehensive education about sexuality, and advocates the right of individuals to make responsible sexual choices.  Their website is an excellent source of general sexuality education information. 
• NICHCY (National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities) publishes free, fact-filled newsletters, arranges workshops and speakers, and advises parents on the laws entitling children with disabilities to special education and other services.  They also offer Spanish language resources.  Their state resource sheets have listings of government programs, disability organizations, and more.  Call 1-800-695-0285.
• Sexuality Education for Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Selected Resources, from dbpeds.org.
• Parent Centers provide training and information to parents of children with disabilities—from babies through young adults. This assistance helps parents better meet the educational needs of their children with disabilities.  Find the Parent Training and Information Center nearest you.
• The ARC is a national organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.  It is devoted to promoting and improving supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
• Project Perform is an information and support resource for families of children with special needs in Michigan.  They have information folders on various disabilities and topics, a lending library, and can refer you to parent support groups.  Call 1-800-552-4821.

Related topics on YourChild: 

• Developmental Delay
• Genetic Syndromes

Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N.  Reviewed by Lisa Engel Evans, M.S.W.

Updated April 2008

U-M Health System Related Sites:
U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
U-M Pediatrics

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The information and links we provide are reviewed by University of Michigan developmental and behavioral pediatricians and child psychologists who are experts in child behavioral health. In choosing the links we provide, we use strict criteria to ensure that the information is accurate, and the source is reputable. As much as possible, we focus on information that is based on research. In areas where there is inadequate research, we include information compatible with prevailing expert opinion.

This website is updated regularly, but because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, we cannot be responsible for misinformation that may be accessed through the links provided. As always, this website is not a tool for self-diagnosis, and is not a substitute for professional care.

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