an “askable” adult regarding sexuality. This means that you listen carefully to everything a child says and avoid being overly judgmental. Children need to feel that they can ask questions without fear or punishment. At the same time, parents can seize these moments to reinforce and transmit their own family’s values in a positive manner.
Guidelines for Training
Group or Individual Learning
Most of the material in this book was developed from our work with groups, but we find that many of the activities and ideas are suited or easily adapted for individual training, as well. Individual training may be preferred for any youth who doesn’t learn well in a group or doesn’t want a group experience or when there are insufficient resources to support a group. For most youths, though, the advantages of participating in a group are great. The group provides opportunities for practicing social skills, peer modeling, and peer coaching, as well as meeting new people and making new friends.
Values Clarification
When teaching about human sexuality, it is important to discuss various family values or attitudes related to specific topics (e.g., masturbation, birth control, homosexuality, and abortion). It is important to give parents an opportunity to review instructional content and suggest at-home activities or discussions to teach their family’s values. With youth, acknowledge the range of opinions and beliefs that exist, encouraging them to learn how their parents feel about such issues.
Inclusion of Sexuality Education Content in IEP
We encourage families to work with the school IEP team to incorporate appropriate goals and activities for promoting positive sexuality and preventing abuse in the school setting.
Working with a Group
Selecting Participants
Who?
S.T.A.R.S 2 activities were developed for youth with autism or other developmental disabilities. Children, from preschool age to adolescents in high school, can benefit from its content. We also believe that the information presented here is valuable to all children and could be effectively used in settings in which children both with and without disabilities are learning together.
Co-ed or not?
Groups can be co-educational or organized separately for girls and boys. We have found that co-ed groups emulate the “real world.” Such groups enhance role-playing and other activities and foster an appreciation for human development and sexuality issues in both sexes. The content area and/or the comfort level of the instructor may influence whether the instruction is done for a co-ed group or not. If the adult facilitator is comfortable, even gender-sensitive issues, such as menstruation and condom use, can be taught and discussed in a co-ed group. Sometimes, girls and boys may feel more comfortable learning some content separately. For example, we believe that both girls and boys can benefit from learning about and seeing menstrual hygiene products; however, some of the more explicit discussion and demonstration about their use may best be done with girls only. For each area, use your judgment about what will work best for you and your participants.
Number of Youths in the Group
We recommend that the size of the group be small (four to eight youths). Size will depend on the individual needs of the participants, participants’ learning styles, and the capacity of group leaders.
Number and Frequency of Teaching Sessions
Information should be shared at a pace that is comfortable for the group or individual. The pace will vary with the age and learning style of the youths. For children, having sessions at least two times per week usually works well for continuity of content.
Involvement of Parents
Whenever there is instruction on human sexuality for minor children and youths, it is best to involve parents or guardians at the outset. If you are offering sexuality education as part of a school human growth and development curriculum, become familiar with the guidelines, which were established by the school board for your school district regarding parent or guardian involvement. A sample parent letter is included in the Appendix (page A-3).
Some instructors offer to meet with parents individually or as a group to review content. This not only informs parents about the content of the training but can promote continuity and reinforcement of the training at home. Sometimes, a parent group meets concurrently with the youth group to clarify and discuss content and concerns that are pertinent to sexuality.
Instructional Methods
In general, information that will be presented to youth with disabilities will be the same as that for other youth, except it is presented in simpler words, at a slower pace, and with much repetition. Any information that you share with an individual child must be presented with methods that are best for teaching that child. For example, it may be helpful to break the content down into the simplest concepts; use simple language; or use visual aids, such as pictures, drawings, or a Social Stories™ format.
We suggest that a variety of instructional methods be used, such as individual and group instruction, simple workbook activities, art, songs and games, puppets, “Social Stories™,” and role-playing. Anatomic dolls, photographs, and line drawings are the most effective methods for identifying reproductive body parts. Group discussion and question and answer sessions are the most effective techniques for problem solving. Social skills are best taught through “real life practice,” role-playing, and group discussion. Lecturing is the least effective method because participants may lose interest if they are not actively engaged.
For some activities, we may refer to specific resources (e.g., slides). Effective teaching can happen even if you don’t have access to the latest technology. Some of the best teaching tools are creatively made with common materials and are tailored to the individual child.
Me and My World Scrapbook
Pages of this scrapbook are located in the Appendix and can be copied for each child. The materials can be adapted for a child of any age with age-appropriate stickers or artwork. There are specific suggestions for using the scrapbook in the “Activities” sections. When completed, youth can keep it as a scrapbook about themselves. The scrapbook can be periodically reviewed with youth, either
