Providing Education on Sexuality and Relationships to Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents

Adolescents with ASD show interest in and desire for relationships, yet deficits in social and communication skills characteristic of ASD may impair their ability to seek and maintain relationships. Parents are often responsible for providing education related to sexuality and relationships, and many express the need for support in teaching their children about these topics. To address these needs, the present study enrolled eight adolescents with ASD and their parents in a six-session program designed to provide education on sexuality and relationships. Adolescent participants included six males and two females, all of whom were between the ages of 12 and 16 (M = 13.4, SD = 0.92).To assess the utility of the program, parents were asked to provide information on adolescent behavior, parent-child discussion of topics related to sexuality and relationships, and parent satisfaction with the program. Adolescents completed knowledge questionnaires. Following the program, parents expressed satisfaction with the experience. Parents further reported that they were discussing a greater number of topics with their adolescents.