Psychosexual Education Interventions for Autistic Adolescents and Youth

“Sexuality encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction; […] sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2006, p. 5). Throughout life, sexuality remains a central aspect of human experience. However, societal misperceptions have often resulted in the neglect of addressing sexuality among autistic individuals. This population may encounter challenges in navigating the cognitive, emotional, and relational changes associated with puberty and sexuality. To date, research on psychoeducational interventions on sexuality addressed exclusively to autistic people has shown that interventions should be early, individualized, and ongoing. These interventions aim to transmit knowledge about sexuality and affectivity and should facilitate the acquisition of practical skills to help people become autonomous. Psychosexual intervention should get caregivers actively involved; furthermore, they should consider autistic people’s voices and include autistic trainers. The contents and information should be delivered using strategies that consider the specific way of learning of autistic people. Both the generalization of the acquired skills to different life contexts and the long-term maintenance of results should be addressed: this necessitates the involvement of professionals who are specifically trained and consistently supervised, along with specifically tailored guidance provided to parents are needed. In fact, the creation of a cooperative environment among caregivers and professionals is essential for creating effective and comprehensive programs and it is functional for the consolidation and maintenance of the results.