Transcript Williams_Julie_ENG_ Bolivia Sex Education 2014x

Dr. Julie Williams, Psy.D., ABPP
Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist
Associate Professor / School of Professional Psychology
Wright State University
 Myths
about Sexuality and Disability
 How
attitudes among parents and providers
impact sexual expression of individuals with
disabilities
 General
Considerations for teaching sex
education
 Strategies
for teaching sex education
 Disabled
people are not sexual and/or do not
have “real sex”
 Disabled people are unnatural therefore,
their sexual desires/or urges are treated as
bad
 People with disabilities have more important
things to worry about.
 Disabled people are showing poor control if
sexual
 Disabled people are not sexually desirable
therefore they do not experience sexual
assaults

Youth with disabilities do not receive any sex education

If they do receive sex education it is “abled-bodied” information
and is not in an accessible format for varying disabilities (e.g.
Deaf youth, visually impaired and cognitive disabilities)

Sexual expression such as masturbation among youth and young
adults is punished, controlled and/or stopped

Unnecessary and/or forced sterilization

Young people with disabilities and adults with disabilities are
sexually assaulted frequently and at higher rates then their nondisabled peers.

Rates of sexually transmitted diseases and overall poor sexual
health is common among individuals with disabilities.
 Parents
should act as their children’s primary
sex educators
 However,
Parents need to overcome their
fears and get prepared for the conversation.

1) Talking about sex will encourage sexual
experimentation;

2) Parents believe they don’t know enough to handle
questions appropriately;

3) Parents fear their children already know too much
or too little.

4) Parents of children who are living with disabilities
may feel that their children are potential targets for
sexual abuse or exploitation.

5) Parents may fear that their children may be unable
to appropriately express their sexual feelings.

Before you start a conversation with your child,
make sure you know your own values and
beliefs. Be honest with yourself.

Acknowledge that everyone, including your
child, is sexual—and has sexuality related
emotions and desires.

Be ready to assert your personal privacy
boundaries.

Start talking with your children about sexuality
while they are very young. Do not wait until they
reach puberty (or later) for these conversations!

Use accurate language for body parts and bodily
functions. Research shows that when a child has
accurate language for private body parts, she/he is
more likely to report abuse, if it occurs, than when
the child lacks appropriate language.

Identify times to talk and communication strategies
that work best for you and your child. For example,
the best time might be Saturday morning on the way
to a sports event or after school while you share a
snack.

Avoid times and strategies that do not work well for
your children and your situation. For example,
you may be unable to carry on a coherent
conversation while driving .
Be clear when discussing and different kinds of
relationships.
 Use photos, pictures, and other visual materials
as often as possible. Showing family photos may
help your child to understand different types of
families and relationships.
 Use ‘teachable moments’ that arise in daily life.
For example, talk about a neighbor’s new
pregnancy.
 Discuss abuse and importance of knowing
difference between “good touch” and “bad
touch”
 Be clear with your child about how to say “no”
and how to get help.


Be honest when your child asks questions. If you
don’t know the answer, say so. Say you will find the
answer and then do so.

Be sure to get back to your child with the answer to
her/his question.

Always acknowledge and value your child’s feelings
and experience. Offer praise and support. For
example, you might say, “That’s a good question, and
it is one I have had in the past, too.” Or, “I’m glad
you feel happy when we talk. I feel happy, too.”

Be willing to repeat information over time. Don’t be
impatient or expect your child to remember
everything you said or to have entirely understood it.
 Use
all the reliable sources of information
available to you—other parents whom you
trust, the public library, reliable Web sites,
local bookstores, educators, and health care
providers.
 Use information that comes from reputable
organizations that deal with disabilities
and/or sexuality.
 Do not use material that is negative about
sexuality as such materials can limit your
ability to be your child’s primary sex
educator






Remember young people with disabilities have
feelings, sexual desire, and a need for intimacy and
closeness.
Children with disabilities need skills, knowledge, and
support.
Understand that youth with disabilities are far more
vulnerable to sexual abuse than are their peers.
Youth who live with developmental disabilities are
especially vulnerable.
Sex education must, therefore, encompass skills to
prevent sex abuse and encouragement to report and
seek treatment for unwanted sexual activity.
Remember that youth who confront disabilities feel
the same discomfort and suffer the same lack of
information that hampers many of their peers
regarding sexuality and sexual health.
 Learn
as much as you can about the
disabilities of the populations with whom you
work.
 Be sure that the material addresses
boundaries and limits—both setting
boundaries and respecting others’
boundaries.
 Rely on role plays and interactive exercises.
 Use concrete teaching strategies.
 Be
creative.
 Modify teaching tools and resources for the
youth with whom you work.
 Youth who have developmental disabilities,
may need visuals like models, dolls and
pictures.
 Youth with physical disabilities, would
benefit from learning of others with similar
disabilities who have loving, satisfying
intimate relationships.
Caveat:
 It is very important to remember that when
it comes to sex education, one size does not
fit all!!!
 Sex education curriculums need to consider

Range of disabilities and the most accessible
delivery of the information

Teachers and parents should be encouraged to
consult frequently with experts in disability and
sex educators
Caveats Continued
 It
is also important to be aware of and
prepared to consider and discuss differences
in sexual preferences

Keeping in mind age, disability and knowledge




Assess what the child knows and what the child has been
told
Share your teaching strategies with parents to promote
comfort and a sense of self efficacy in talking about sex
Consider offering a group session for parents and
children to discuss basic sexual health and expression
information (this is only to be done as general dialogue
and opportunity to open the doors of communication
around sexuality. Individuality of sexual education needs
need to be considered on a case by case basis.
Give the young adult room to ask questions, to explore
and to have assurance his/her privacy will be maintained
and respected
 Disabilities
in children and intellectual
disabilities in adolescence

Pictures depicting body parts and names of body
parts

Role playing

Talk about Masturbation!!


Normalize
Problem-solving with youth safe places and times to
masturbate
Physical disabilities
 Mobility



Use information from experts in sexuality and
disability to gain knowledge about disability specific
sexual function. For example, a youth with a high
level spinal cord injury, may experience bowel and
bladder control issues and feel ashamed to engage in
sexual activity or to date someone.
Sensory
Ensure that materials for those with visual
impairments are accessible in terms of size of print
and/or audio
 Ensure that materials and training for Deaf youth is of
the appropriate language/reading levels to be
understood.


Advocates for youth, (Sex education for emotionally, physically
and intellectually challenged youth.
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/479?task=view

Ballan M. Parents as sexuality educators for their children with
developmental disabilities. SIECUS Report 2001; 29(3):14-19.

Couwenhoven, Terri. Sexuality education: building a foundation
for healthy attitudes” Disability Solutions 2001; 4(5).

Neufeld J, Klingeil F, Bryen DN, Silverman B, Thomas A.
Adolescent sexuality and disability. Physical Medicine &
Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 2002; 13(4): 857-73.

Tepper MS. Becoming sexually able: education to help youth with
disabilities. SIECUS Report 2001; 29(3):5-13