Sexuality and Severe Autism: A Practical Guide for Parents, Caregivers and Health Educators

by Kate E. Reynolds

Sexual health and sexuality can be difficult subjects for parents and caregivers to broach with autistic children, made more challenging when children are at the severe end of the autism spectrum. Some parents may even question the validity of teaching sexuality to those who are severely autistic.This practical handbook guides you through the process of teaching about sex and sexuality, answering all of the most crucial questions, Why is it necessary to teach this subject to my severely autistic child? When is the right time to start talking about these issues? How detailed and explicit should I be? What methods are most appropriate? It addresses male and female issues separately and covers public and private sexual behaviours, sexual abuse, cross-gender teaching and liaising with school, in addition to the more obvious areas such as physical changes and menstruation. This will be the ideal guide to teaching about sexual issues for any parent, caregiver or health educator caring for a person on the severe end of the autism spectrum.

Genres: Psychology

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[farmwifetwo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it. A book that started out well, ended up with me wanting to roll my eyes through a huge chunk of it.

It is not a tool to help parents and school's teach sex ed. Well, unless you want to book a time daily for your kid to masturbate because it's a "calmer"... yes, I'm being flippant but she goes on about self-esteem and self-determination and then changes to "do this"....

Will add it to the large pile of "not terribly useful" materials that are out there and go back to doing what I've been doing.... which is living "normal".

[Jordan Varey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate E. Reynolds makes a compelling argument for the need for comprehensive sexual education for children with severe autism. She establishes the fact that many children are provided with little, or no, information about their sexual development. The result is often unexplained discomfort (smells, physical changes, hair, acne, etc.), sexually inappropriate behaviour, and frustration. She also highlights the increased risk of sexual abuse when people do not understand appropriate touch, privacy, their right to say no, and what is normal for their bodies.

Reynolds is respectful, clear, and comprehensive in her approach. She deals candidly with sexual education, masturbation, and teaching appropriate behaviours. She is careful to explain the reasoning for her views (legal repercussions, risks, quality of life,etc.) and offers practical steps toward her stated goals.

Readers should note that Reynolds is from the United Kingdom and therefore her legal references are not always applicable in a Canadian context. Also, her primary focus is on children although I suspect that her wisdom can be easily modified to suit a wider demographic.

"Sexuality and Severe Autism" helps to fill a void in the literature around disability and sexuality. Much of what Reynolds suggests is uncontroversial as she includes a wide range off topics within "sexuality". For example, I doubt that any care provider will contest her suggestions around hygiene routines or private vs. public space. However, some of what she writes will challenge systems that have typically governed and/or suppressed the sexual lives of people with severe autism. I believe this is an overdue challenge that should be taken seriously by service providers.

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good starting point to begin exploring the issues related to sexuality for people with ASD, and it does not sugarcoat to potential problems that ensue when you try to ignore this topic or infantilize adults with disabilities, pretending they are assexual.

The book also offers extensive resources and a significant bibliography to learn more. I was glad to see that there is an emphasis in education and sharing information with young people and adults with disabilities to prevent abuse, exploitation, or them becoming perpetrators of sexual abuse.

The book is written from an UK perspective so some of the resources or programs listed may not be applicable to where the readers are, but their roles are explained enough for you to figure out an equivalent service in your location.

My concerns with this book are that some statements presented as facts have no support (for instance that SIB is related to low self-esteem) and that some resources shared in the back of the book, such as the son-rise program, have no evidence of being effective. If this book is aimed at desperate parents, I would hope the author would be careful to direct them to proven resources.

[H. · Rating 1 out of 5]

really felt more like it was written for medical professionals i just wanted plain speaking how to guide.