Exploring the impact of a developing sexuality on adolescents with autism

Abstract

-This research project sought to understand as far as possible what meanings the period of development termed as 'adolescence' meant for a small group of young men on the autism spectrum, as interpreted by the parents and staff who support them. The focus of my enquiry was an exploration of interpretations of behaviour; specifically 'sexualised behaviour' and how these interpretations might enable or disable people on the autism spectrum. In this study accessing the 'meaning of experience' for the young men within this group, as interpreted by the participants, was mediated through a supported process of reflection in which the participants challenged their initial interpretations and understandings of what the behaviours might mean to the young men. The method used was a series of individual and group interviews with the people who lived and worked with these young men, and used Ashworth's eight 'fractions' of the Lifeworld as starting off points from which to begin framing the examination and interpretation of the participant's experiences and perceptions.Throughout this research my aim and intention was to challenge some of the canons of autism in relation to sexuality and sexualised behaviour. In doing so I wanted to identify how a supported reflection might move parents and staff towards new ways of interpreting the behaviour of people on the autism spectrum, so that more appropriate and sensitive measures can be formulated in order to bring about positive sexual identity formation during adolescence.3

The potential of the fractions of lifeworld for inclusive qualitative inquiry in the third space

“…The researcher can then look across all accounts to identify in what particular ways the event was constituted by temporality, selfhood, sociality etc; always looking for the elements that were idiosyncratic as well as those that were shared. In this way the fractions can be described as acting as 'thematic markers' because the assignment of units of meaning to the specific fractions is the first step to elucidating the potential relationships between them (Andrews 2017).…”

“…Through the research process parents and staff came to reflect on the connected nature of their lifeworlds with those of the young men and of the potential value at times to tease out where one might begin and the other end (Andrews 2017). For example, in relation to Gerry, how his parents thought about their son's behaviours appeared to change as they engaged with the facilitated reflective process through the research.…”

Sexualidad y afectividad en personas con trastorno del espectro autista: Perspectivas de familiares y profesionales

“…La alteración de cada una de estas áreas puede estar ligada a una escasa comprensión de la sexualidad y a una incapacidad para expresar adecuadamente sentimientos sobre la misma. Andrews (2017), afirma que para lograr representar puntos de vista alternativos que amplíen la base del conocimiento sobre la educación sexual para las personas con TEA, se debe facilitar el diálogo y la investigación, especialmente sobre los aspectos positivos de la sexualidad y sus beneficios, considerando que estas personas tienen las mismas necesidades, al igual que sentimientos sexuales Manzone, Luisa Andrea; Cuesta Gómez, José Luis; Muñoz Delaunoy, Ignacio y Santamaría Conde, Rosa María Sexualidad y afectividad en personas con trastorno del espectro autista: Perspectivas de familiares y profesionales________________________________________________________ Licencia de Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es que la población general, con la posibilidad de satisfacer estas necesidades igualmente importantes para ellas y, sin embargo, a menudo se enfrentan a la falta de oportunidades para explorar su sexualidad, así como a una educación insuficiente sobre la sexualidad disponible para ellos o personas de su entorno social (Haynes, 2016). Los prejuicios relativos a la sexualidad de las personas con TEA siguen siendo muy prominentes en las familias y en los profesionales.…”