A Web resource page of the National Dissemination
Center for Children with Disabilities
NICHCY Connections...
to Sexuality Education
Launched April 30, 2005
Updated September 22, 2005
Approx. 15 pages when
printed
NICHCY's Connections pages are designed to put you in quick contact
with information that's readily available on the Internet. We're pleased to
offer this particular resource page to connect you with sources of information
on sexuality education for young people with disabilities. The list below isn't
intended to be exhaustive of the sexuality education resources available. However,
this is a subject upon which NICHCY gets a lot of questions, so we hope these
resources, few as they are, will be of help to you.
- 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hopelessly out of date, but the guidance and discussions are not.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:
- 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.
- 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.
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Sexuality and Specific Disabilities
Mental Retardation
- Sexuality AAMR/ARC Position Statement.
http://www.aamr.org/Policies/pos_sexuality.shtml
Read the joint position statement regarding the sexuality and sexual rights
of people with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities
from the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) and The ARC (The
national organization of and for people with mental retardation and related
developmental disabilities and their families).
- http://www.thearc.org/publications/
Go to The Arc’s website and find Sexuality Policies and Procedures
Manual A comprehensive manual developed by The Arc Morris County Chapter,
NJ, to assist its employees in dealing with the sensitive issues of sexual
behavior.
From the National Down syndrome Society- NDSS
Autism
Deaf- Blind
- Introduction to Sexuality Education for Individuals who are Deaf-Blind
and Significantly Developmentally Delayed
http://www.tr.wou.edu/dblink/pdf/sex-ed.pdf
This book address sexuality issues in the lives of school age individuals
who are deaf-blind and significantly developmentally delayed. Since these
individuals usually do not experience sexuality through typical relationships,
they require a different type of instruction.
- From the American Foundation of the Blind
Sex Education for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?DocumentID=2298#2000
This article describes a model sex education program developed for youths
and adults who are deaf-blind by the Helen Keller National Center for
Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. You have to be a subscriber to access the
entire article.
Epilepsy
Information for women with disabilities
- http://www.bcm.tmc.edu/crowd/
Visit The Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD).
CROWD is a research center that focuses on issues related to health, aging,
civil rights, abuse, and independent living. Its purpose is to promote,
develop, and disseminate information to expand the life choices of women
with disabilities so that they may fully participate in community life.
From the US Department of Health & Human Services visit the National
Women’s Health Information Center.
http://www.4woman.gov/
The center has a variety of publications on sexuality, abuse, health care,
resources for women with disabilities, including fact sheets, statistical
information, journal articles, organization contacts, and professional
guidelines.
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General Sexuality Education Info Sources
Part of the report of the APA Committee on Psychology and AIDS discusses
the research on, and the advisability of, providing youth with comprehensive
sexuality education as a way of reducing HIV/AIDS transmission, an approach
that research does support as effective. But where do you find resources
on how to do that? And what is comprehensive sexuality education? And how
are the needs of students with disabilities in any such course of study to
be addressed? Here are some resources on the subject.
- School Health Education Clearinghouse.
www.siecus.org/school/index.html
The mission of the clearinghouse is to strengthen the capacity of state
and local education, health, and social service agencies to help young people
at risk for HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unintended
pregnancy, and other important health problems. Here, professionals can
find easy access to essential school health information, including state
and local policies, sexual health promotion programs, national guidelines,
information on curricula, and links to additional information on the Web.
You'll even find training modules!
- SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
www.siecus.org/school/sex_ed/guidelines/guide0000.html
The SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: K-12
are a framework to promote and facilitate the development of comprehensive
sexuality education programs. The Guidelines identify the goals of comprehensive
sexuality education, six key concepts that a comprehensive programs need
to cover, and a variety of topics that should be included.
The third edition of the guidelines was released in 2004, with the PDF version
available at:
www.siecus.org/pubs/guidelines/guidelines.pdf
- And curricula?
www.siecus.org/pubs/biblio/bibs0010.html
What curricula incorporate the key concepts of the SIECUS guidelines? SIECUS
provides a review.
- The Responsible Education About Life Act: In the works.
www.advocatesforyouth.org/real.htm
Introduced in Congress on February 10, 2005 by Representative Barbara Lee
(D-CA) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the Responsible Education About
Life Act (the REAL Act)—formerly the Family Life Education Act—will provide
funding to states for medically accurate, age appropriate, comprehensive
sex education in the schools—education that includes information about both
abstinence and contraception, from both a values and public health perspective.
Find out more at the link above.
- Medical info.
www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/
Sexuality information is often medical in nature, which means it can be
technical and detailed. To be accurate in what you say and teach, it may
help to review the biology basics! The link above connects you Planned Parenthood's
medical info page, where you can pick and choose which topics and details
to pursue.
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These days, we hear a lot of debate about the virtues of abstinence-only
sexuality education for young people. In this approach to the subject, students
are taught that abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage is the expected
standard for all school-age children. Federal funds are available to schools
that use abstinence-only programs.
Comprehensive sexuality education programs stand in contrast to abstinence-only.
They approach this delicate subject through the frame that young people should
be taught to make responsible decisions about sexuality, and that any sound
educational program should provide thorough and accurate information about
human sexuality.
So which is it? One or the other, or some combination of the two? Or something
else entirely? Let's start this resource page by taking a look at some resources
on the two main approaches to sexuality education.
- A quick summary of the approaches---and the debate.
http://womensissues.about.com/od/healthsexuality/i/isabstinenceonl.htm
What are the two approaches, and what do proponents and opponents of them
have to say? What's the legislative history of abstinence-only, and what
is federal policy right now?
- Is abstinence-only effective in preventing HIV transmission? What
research shows.
www.apa.org/releases/sexed_resolution.pdf
In this age of applying research to decision making, this question has obvious
implications for our youth. A recent report from the APA Committee on Psychology
and AIDS answers the question----no.
The Committee is charged with providing policy direction and oversight for
activities related to HIV/AIDS. It reports that, while current Federal policy
actively supports widespread implementation of abstinence-only education programs
as a way to prevent HIV transmission, there is little scientific evidence
that these programs work. Those few studies that do report evidence
in support of abstinence-only and abstinence-until-marriage programs have
very limited generalizability, because they did not use appropriate comparison
groups nor the type of sampling strategies required to ensure minimum bias
in the selection of research subjects. Read the full report at the link above:
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Harassment & Abuse
Spanish Resources
- http://www3.usal.es/~inico/actividades/actasuruguay2001/9.pdf
Link to the address above and find an article called: Educación sexual
y discapacidad (Sexuality Education and Disability)
- Link to the address below and find a publication called: La educación
Sexual para estudiantes con necesidades educativas especiales ( Sexuality
Education for students with Special Needs)
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/6843/educacionsexual.html
- Planned parenthood
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/espanol/main.xml
Find information in Spanish on sexuality, teen issues, woman health, health
centers and much more!
- La Familia Habla ( The Family Project)
http://www.lafamiliahabla.org/about.html
The Family Project, is a Project of the Sexuality Information and Education
Council of the United States o SIECUS. They empower parents and caregivers
to communicate with their children about sexuality-related issues, to provide
tools to help families communicate about these issues, and to encourage parents,
caregivers, and young people to become advocates on the local, state, and
national levels for sexuality-related issues including comprehensive sexuality
education programs in the schools. You will find publications for families,
parents and others that address sexuality issues and much more!
- Hable con sus hijos in English Talking With Kids About Tough Issues
http://www.talkingwithkids.org/spanish-sexo.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.
Link to the address above and find an article in Spanish called: Cómo
Hablar con sus Hijos Sobre el Sexo y las Relaciones
- Visit the AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) and
find the following articles in Spanish: El Abuso Sexual a los Niños
; Respondiendo al Abuso Sexual a los Niños ; Los Niños, los
Adolescentes y el VIH/SIDA ; Cuando los Adolescentes Tienen Hijos. http://www.aacap.org/publications/apntsFam/index.htm
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Books & Other Resources
- Developmental Disabilities –Sex Education
http://www.stanfield.com/sexed.html
If you are a professional working with people with disabilities visit the
Program Development Associates and find books, videos , CD’s and training
packages on sex education for persons with developmental disabilities
- Sex Education and relationships
http://www.stanfield.com/sexed-1.html
From The James Stanfield Publishing Company find more than 20 sex education
and relationship programs for schools and professionals working with students
with disabilities.
- From Brooks publisher
Sexuality Your Sons and Daughters with Intellectual Disabilities
http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/schwier-4285/index.htm
- Selected Sexuality Education Curricula and Resources courtesy of Planned
Parent Hood of America is a descriptive list of the different sexuality education
curriculums available for all ages and grades and the contact information
to obtain them.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/education/real/Selected.pdf
- Visit the Steege Publications web site that has been developed to promote
healthy sexuality among adults with mental retardation. Find three different
manuals that address different issues regarding sex education for persons
with disabilities.
http://www.steegepublications.com/pages/publications.html
- From Autism Today
Autism-Asperger’s & Sexuality Puberty and Beyond
A book that was wrote by a married couple with autism/Asperger's Syndrome
http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/featuredbookNewport.html
- EEC (Educational Equity Concepts)
http://www.edequity.org/programs_disability.php
EEC is a national not-for-profit organization that promotes bias-free learning
through innovative programs and materials. Their mission is to decrease discrimination
based on gender, race/ethnicity, disability, and level of family income. Visit
their web site and you will find: Bridging the Gap: A National Directory of
Services for Women and Girls with Disabilities.
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Other:
Volume 07 Issue 04 - 12/2003
Sex matters in autism and other developmental disabilities
Travis Thompson, Mary Caruso and Kathryn Ellerbeck , University of Kansas Medical
Center, USA;University of Kansas Medical Center, USA;University of Kansas Medical
Center, USA
Social Work Research Findings No. 26
Challenging and Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in People with Learning Disabilities:
A Literature Review
ISBN 0 7480 7178 4 Publisher The Scottish Office, 1998
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Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). |
NICHCY Connections pages are
published in response to questions from individuals and organizations
that contact us. We encourage you to share
your ideas and feedback with us!
Project Director:
Suzanne Ripley
Assistant Director: Donna Waghorn
Editor: Lisa Küpper, NICHCY
NICHCY thanks our Project Officer, Dr. Peggy Cvach, at the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education. |
| Publication
of this Web resource page is made possible through Cooperative Agreement
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of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The
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of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial
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