Sexuality and teens with developmental disabilties

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. Adolescents with disabilities frequently experience considerable scrutiny from their nondisabled peers concerning their perceived differences. Consequently, adolescents with disabilities may possess negative self-views and may often have difficulties in friendship and intimate relationship development. Limited research has examined sexual development of adolescents with disabilities.

Sexual education for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities is extremely important. Born This Way , a reality television show that stars seven diverse young adults with Down syndrome, is doing its part to highlight this. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, an average of 59, adults with disabilities are raped or sexually assaulted each year. Approximately half of all adults with cognitive disabilities will experience 10 or more sexually abusive incidents in their lifetime. Couwenhoven specializes in the design and implementation of sexuality programs and resources for people with cognitive disabilities, their parents and the professionals who support them. In coordination with Couwenhoven, RespectAbility released a lengthy guide featuring resources for sexual education for children, teenagers and adults with disabilities, with a focus on those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In the natural course of life, we humans can be expected to grow and change. We develop and mature over time—our brains, our bodies, the sense of who we are and who we want to be. Development is a beautiful thing, really, exciting and creative, and it makes parents, friends, and teachers look on in awe. Use the links below to find out more about:.

Puberty is a life stage, not an event! Puberty is the process of growing from a child into an adult and happens to everyone starting as early as 8 years and ending between 17 and 20 years. Puberty changes come in waves — changes may seem to happen all of a sudden and then the changes slow down for a while. This web page focuses on the emotional and social changes related to puberty and sexual development for children and youth with disabilities.