NICHCY Connections...to Sexuality Education

Teaching Sexuality Education for Young People with Disabilities

• What about sexuality education for individuals with disabilities?
  http://63.73.227.69/pubs/biblio/bibs0009.html
  Find out what's available in SIECUS' Annotated Bibliography: Sexuality and Disability, online at the link above.
• Sexuality education for people with disabilities, take two.
  www.siecus.org/siecusreport/volume29/29-3.pdf
  This issue of the SIECUS Report (Volume 29 Number 3) includes such articles as: Parents as Sexuality Educators for Their Children with Developmental Disabilities, Sexuality and People with Psychiatric Disabilities, and the annotated bibliography noted above.
  
• Sexuality education for persons with developmental disabilities: Selected resources.
  www.dbpeds.org/articles/detail.cfm?TextID=141
• It's an oldie but a goodie.
  www.nichcy.org/pubs/outprint/nd17txt.htm
  In 1992, NICHCY published Sexuality Education for Children and Youth with Disabilities. The resources we listed in that publication are, of course, hopelessly out of date, but the guidance and discussions are not. We still get requests for this News Digest, which is why it's still on our site, albeit in the "out of print" section! Some of the key sections are: What is Sexuality? How Does Sexuality Develop? What is Sexuality Education? The Importance of Developing Social Skills; Teaching Children and Youth about Sexuality; How Particular Disabilities Affect Sexuality and Sexuality Education; and Special Issues.
• A DD toolkit for parents and professionals.
  www.ppct.org/education/resources/ddintro.htm
• From a resource center on preventing pregnancy.
  www.etr.org/recapp/column/column200110.htm
  ReCAPP, the Resource Center on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, offers "Educating Youth with Developmental Disabilities," which focuses on how educators can best meet the sexuality education needs of young people with mental or emotional disabilities.
• Sex education: Building a foundation for healthy attitudes.
  www.disabilitysolutions.org/pdf/4-5.pdf
  A fine read for parents, from Disability Solutions.
• From the commercial publisher, Paul H. Brookes.
  www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/schwier-4285/index.htm
  Sexuality: Your Sons and Daughters with Intellectual Disabilities is intended to help parents "learn how to interact with your children — no matter their age or ability — in a way that increases self-esteem, encourages appropriate behavior, empowers them to recognize and respond to abuse, and enables them to develop life long relationships."
• From the commercial publisher, James Stanfield.
  www.stanfield.com/sexed.html
  James Stanfield Publishing offers several different video series to help educators address the social skills and sexuality education of students with intellectual disabilities.
• In case you're wondering if sex ed is really necessary for youth with disabilities...
  www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/3518703.html
  Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health reports that "Teenagers with Mental Disability Lack Reproductive Education and Knowledge; Still, Many Have Had Sex."

• Visit the Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and find:
  
  • What do I say? How do I say it? Specific suggestions, tips, and ideas for effectively teaching youth with developmental disabilities about sexuality topics. http://www.etr.org/recapp/practice/edskills200110.htm#benefits
  • Educating Youth with Developmental Disabilities http://www.etr.org/recapp/column/column200110.htm this article focuses on how educators can best meet the sexuality education needs of young people with mental or emotional disabilities.
• From the Journal Teaching Exceptional Children of the CEC find Sex Education for Students with Disabilities: an Evaluation Guide which provides several strategies to assist educators in reviewing appropriate sexuality curricula for their students with disabilities.
  http://journals.sped.org/EC/Archive_Articles/VOL.36NO.1SeptOct2003_TEC_Wolfe36-1.pdf
• Visit the Special Education Service Agency of Alaska and find under their reference shelf “Sexuality and Puberty”, a series of 10 short articles and suggestions on how to address sexuality education for people with disabilities.
  http://www.sesa.org/newsltr/DSISpring02/dsitocsp02.html
• From The Developmental Disabilities Resources for Healthcare Providers.
  Sexuality and Reproductive Health.
  http://www.ddhealthinfo.org/doc.asp?ID=3175
  This website is a collaboration of California-based information and programs on developmental disabilities. Its purpose is to assist physicians and other healthcare providers in caring for persons with developmental disabilities
• Sexuality Education of Children and Adolescents with Developmental
  Disabilities.
  http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;97/2/275.pdf
  Courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics
• From the Sex Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) find a Report and an Annotated Bibliography.
  • Sexuality Education for People with Disabilities, Volume 29 Number 3
    http://www.siecus.org/pubs/srpt/srpt0031.html
    A report that contains six articles regarding sexuality issues and sexuality education for people with disabilities.
  • Annotated Bibliography: Sexuality and Disability.
    http://www.siecus.org/pubs/biblio/bibs0009.html
    You will find general books, books for professionals, parents, youth, curricula and much more!
• An Evaluation of a Community-Based Sexuality Education Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities.
  http://www.ejhs.org/volume5/plunkett/titlepage.html
  An article of the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality that gives a brief background of sexuality and individuals with developmental disabilities, provides an overview of the Responsible Choices for Sexuality Programs, provides the results of an evaluation of the program and offers implications for others developing or evaluating similar programs.
• The birds and the bees and kids with LD.
  www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=626&g=2
• Sex ed for young people with visual impairments.
  www.tsbvi.edu/Education/sexuality-education.htm

• From the American Academy of Pediatrics.
  Sexuality Education for Children and Adolescents.
  http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;108/2/498.pdf
• SIECUS- Sex Information and Education Council of the US.
  http://www.siecus.org/
  SIECUS works to make sure that information, knowledge, and skills are within everybody's reach. SIECUS provides information and training opportunities for educators, health professionals, parents, and communities across the country to ensure that people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds receive high quality, comprehensive education about sexuality.
• Planned Parenthood.
  http://www.plannedparenthood.org/education/
  Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a voluntary family planning and reproductive health organization. You will find fact sheets, health information, health centers, publications and much more!
• Medical Institute for Sexual Health.
  www.medinstitute.org
  The Medical Institute for Sexual Health identifies, evaluates and communicates credible scientific data in practical, understandable and dynamic formats to promote healthy sexual decisions and behavior in order to dramatically improve the welfare of individuals and society.
• The Society for Scientific Study of Sexuality.
  www.SexScience.org
  The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality is dedicated to advancing knowledge of sexuality. They believe in the importance of both the production of quality research and the application of sexual knowledge in educational, clinical, and other settings. Visit their web site and you will find publications, journals, listings of valuable sources in Sexual Science and more!
• American Association of sex educators, counselors and therapist.
  http://mentalhealth.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.aasect.org/
  Is a nonprofit, professional association dedicated to training, education, and research in the field of sex education.
• Advocates for Youth.
  http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.htm
  Advocates works to increase the opportunities for and abilities of youth to make healthy decisions about sexuality.
• Talking With Kids About Tough Issues http://www.talkingwithkids.org/local.html
  Is a national initiative by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation to encourage parents to talk with their children earlier and more often about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.

Sexuality and Specific Disabilities

Mental Retardation