There is often a lot of anxiety around talking to children with special needs about growing up, relationships and sex. Parents worry their children may be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. But by teaching your child about sex and relationships you can help keep them safe.
Whether your child has special needs or not, they will still hit puberty and the chances are they will have sexual feelings. Giving them the information they need to understand those feelings and channelling them appropriately is very important.
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Healthy Bodies, A Guide for Puberty for Children with Disabilities - 0 views
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Puberty is a time of change for children, and often a time of challenge for parents looking for the "right" way to talk about the upcoming changes. It can be even more of a challenge for parents of children with developmental or physical disabilities.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Disabilities has created two toolkits, one for boys, and one for girls, that provide factual information about puberty. Topics include encouraging good hygiene, appropriate behavior, and how to deal with the body changes. The toolkits also suggest ways to approach these important conversations, especially with children with disabilities.
Each toolkit also includes a separate appendix that includes visual aids to help teach body parts, and social story images to help your child learn what appropriate behaviors are and where they are appropriate. Parents can decide what information and guidelines they share with their children.
Both toolkits and the accompanying appendices can be downloaded for free here: http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/healthybodies
How To Talk About Sex & Relationships With A Special Needs Child | Friendship Circle --... - 0 views
Sexuality and Kids with Disabilities or Chronic Illness: Your Child: University of Mich... - 0 views
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Young people with disabilities are no different from other kids in their need to understand their bodies and relationships; they, too, need to undersand how their bodies work, and may have romantic longings and sexual interests. The following resources cover the many aspects of disability, love, sex and puberty in a responsible, open and affirming manner. Here is a good starting point and overview:
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Puberty can bring a whole new set of challenges and special circumstances to consider. This forum aims to give parents, caregivers, and those other involved in the care of children with Autism insights on: Successful strategies for implementing a social skills group Special considerations when preparing for puberty Parental concerns during puberty When:
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
10:00am-11:00am Mountain