Talking About Sex

Sexuality Education for Learners with Disabilities

By: Thomas C. Gibbon, Elizabeth A. Harkins Monaco, David F. Bateman

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eText | 3 April 2018 | Edition Number 1

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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.

Industry Reviews

Talking About Sex: Sexuality Education for Learners with Disabilities makes an essential contribution to advocating for self-determination of persons with developmental disabilities by taking up a subject that educators and other human service professional have historically overlooked. Educational practices have focused on academic and self-help skills while largely ignoring issues of sexuality. Understanding sexuality is an equally important life skill that empowers young adults with disabilities. Individuals with developmental disabilities are at the greatest risk for sexual abuse and need an awareness of both normal and deviant sexuality. These individuals have the same rights as people without disabilitiesto engage in sexual and relationship exploration, including knowledge of safe sex practices, consent, and ethical behavior. In addition to exploring the topic, the authors offer instructional approaches for sex education that are adapted for special populations. Talking About Sex: Sexuality Education for Learners with Disabilities is a must-read for parents, counselors, providers, and virtually anyone engaged in the field.