Sexual Health Education for Individuals with Disabilities: A Call to Action

Barriers to sexuality education for children and young people with disabilities in the WHO European region: a scoping review

“…Our findings support those of several articles and reviews published over the past decade. In particular, the overprotection and infantilisation of people with disabilities, as well as societal perception of the sexuality of individuals with disabilities as deviant have been reported as a major barriers to their sexual health education (Seidel et al 2014;Treacy, Taylor, and Abernathy 2018). This highlights the culturally influenced societal perceptions of disability (Wilson and Scior 2015;Munyi 2012), and, in particular, of disability in combination with sexuality (Ditchman 2017;Esmail et al 2010;Sinclair et al 2015).…”

“…As Campbell, Löfgren-Mårtenson, and Martino (2020) suggest, 'Sex education is imperative to not only increasing the likelihood for people with disabilities to enjoy fulfiling romantic and sexual lives, but also to engage in safe and satisfying sexual exploration'. Several publications have shed light on the possible barriers to sexuality education, although many have focused on other populations and other topics, for example, the barriers experienced by adults (Caspar and Glidden 2001;Brown and McCann 2018;Sinclair et al 2015;McCann, Marsh, and Brown 2019) or those encountered in other parts of the world, such as the USA (Treacy, Taylor, and Abernathy 2018). However, the additional stigma related to sexuality among children and young people as compared to adults and the specific context of the European region with its longer tradition of sexuality education -particularly in northern and western Europe -warrants an examination of the barriers to sexuality education for children and young people with disabilities within this context.…”

Sexual Health Communication Between Healthcare Professionals and Adolescents with Chronic Conditions in Western Countries: An Integrative Review

“…Body image and the development of sexual sense are especially impaired by chronic physical conditions [14]. Among others, these factors result in increased risk of sexual abuse and exploitation, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases [15].…”

“She’ll be able to live independently… as long as I’m around”: The “lived” experience of parenting a child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in the transition to adulthood

“…A recent review by McDaniels and Fleming () highlighted that young people with intellectual disabilities are at an increased risk of unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual abuse and exploitation, and misinformation due to inadequate sexual information. Treacy, Taylor, and Abernathy () suggested that providing sexual education to young people with 22q11DS would empower them to better understand sexual behaviours and boundaries, as well as provide a foundation for these young people to make informed choices. Kisler () identified that information and support provided to family members, accounting for the emerging adult's developmental age, were lacking.…”