Adolescents with autism need better sex education to avoid loneliness, low self-esteem and depression.
That’s the view of psychology lecturer Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University.
Dr Steven Stagg: he says positive relationships would help people with autism enjoy better mental health
He says positive relationships would help people with autism enjoy emotional security and improved mental health.
Sex education at school
Stagg leads a team of researchers. They are looking at the sexual experiences of adolescents with autism and the sex education they need from school.
He thinks schools should offer autistic students not just standard sex education. He says they should also give lessons on how the students could express themselves to potential partners.
Stagg says his research shows the idea that people with autism prefer to be alone is misguided.
His team interviewed 40 adults with autism. Only three of the interviewees had mixed feelings about relationships.
Desire for a relationship
Nearly half had never had a relationship, but expressed a strong desire for one.
However, they admitted they would struggle with knowing how to meet someone in a pub. Dating apps were also unappealing.
Stagg said: “If you’re in a population that finds it very difficult to socialise and understand the norms and rules of forming relationships that becomes even more problematic, so you get even more people with autism who are not in relationships.”
He says schools should use role play to help autistic students better understand relationships.
Advice and peer networks
Schools should also provide an advice network where young people with autism can share experiences. A peer network could help with understanding sexual slang.
People with autism are more likely than neurotypical peers to be gay, bixsexual, transexual or non-binary. Sex education should consider this, Stage thinks.
Work should also focus on understanding boundaries. Two of the autistic students in Stagg’s group reported that they had stalked someone, but struggled to grasp that the behaviour was threatening.
Avoiding abusive relationships should also be a key feature of sex education, Stagg says.
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Published: 25 September 2017
