Relationship Building & Sexual Awareness for Kids with Autism: S∙T∙A∙R∙S 2
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© 2015 Susan Heighway and Susan Kidd Webster
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ISBN: 9780986067327
Acknowledgements
Many colleagues and friends were involved in the completion of this guidebook. It is with gratitude that we extend our thanks to the following people:
Leslie Larsen for sharing her ideas about activities that are useful in teaching relationship building and social interaction to youth with disabilities.
Marsha Shaw for her inspiration and collaboration in our early work.
Howard Mandeville and Caroline Hoffman, who supported us for many years through the Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Pat Patterson, who provided us with support and expert consultation for the many issues and concerns that we encounter with children with developmental disabilities, their families, and the people who support them.
The original production staff, including Sabrina Ruland and Deborah Goldman for layout, Yvonne Slusser for the cover graphics, and Betsy True for the adult line drawings.
Future Horizons, Inc. for their support in editing and publishing the STARS guidebooks.
Illustrations were used for “Me and My World Scrapbook” with permission from Let's Learn about Getting Along with Others, by J. Carroll and illustrated by Elizabeth Nygaard, Good Apple, Inc., 1988.
We especially express our gratitude to all the youth and families who shared their experiences and stories with us: We have learned so much from you.
The Authors
Susan Heighway, M.S., PNP-BC, APNP, is a nurse practitioner with the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the Waisman Center and a faculty associate with the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the Waisman Center, she works as a nurse practitioner in the outpatient specialty clinics serving individuals with developmental disabilities and metabolic and/or genetic disorders and their families. She is the nursing training coordinator for a federally funded maternal and child health interdisciplinary leadership training program for graduate students.
Susan Kidd Webster, MSSW, ISW, is Emeritus faculty of the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For many years, she worked on capacity-building projects as an outreach specialist with the Waisman Center to support people with developmental disabilities in the community. She taught courses and coordinated internships for undergraduate and graduate social work students working with persons with developmental disabilities. She is also the parent of an adult son with an intellectual disability.
Both Ms. Heighway and Ms. Webster have several years of experience in the area of sexual abuse prevention and sexuality education for people with developmental disabilities. For several years, they worked together at the Waisman Center. They both served on a task force that was convened by the Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities and addressed issues of sexual abuse for people with developmental disabilities. They provided consultation to community agencies; presented at conferences; gave guest lectures on campus; and conducted workshops regarding sexuality and sexual abuse at the local, state, and national levels. They are the co-authors of the original STARS publication, which was published by Future Horizons, Inc., and was developed for adolescents and adults.
Contents
Section 1: Introduction
How to Use This Book
Why Sexuality Education?
Misbeliefs and Facts about Sexuality and Youth with Developmental Disabilities
Section 2: A S.T.A.R.S Model
Assessing the Needs of Children or “Figuring out What to Teach”
Guidelines for Parents and Support Providers
Guidelines for Training
Section 3: Understanding Relationships
Section 4: Social Interaction
Section 5: Sexual Awareness
Section 6: Assertiveness
Section 7: Appendix
la. Sample Letter to Parent or Guardian Describing Sexuality Education Program
lb. Sample Letter to Parent or Guardian about Relationships
2. Glossary
3. Resources
4. Expressions (Faces)
5. Male and Female Drawings
6. Me and My World Scrapbook
Section 1:
Introduction
This S∙T∙A∙R∙S 2 publication is an adapted version of our original S∙T∙A∙R∙S guidebook. S∙T∙A∙R∙S 2 is designed to be used with youth in the primary grades through high school. Our original S∙T∙A∙R∙S publication contains activities that were primarily designed for use in older teens and adults with developmental disabilities. As we met and talked about sexuality issues with parents, teachers, service providers, and persons with developmental disabilities, we became aware of the need for a corresponding training guide for children. We recognized that many of the problems in the
