Wyoming Institute for Disabilities
1000 E. University Ave. Dept. 4298
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2718
Email: srh@uwyo.edu
This advocacy organization provides information and resources for parents, educators, and advocates for encouraging and advancing youth sexual health. The Parents’ Sex Ed Center provides parents with tools to foster communication about issues of sexual health and responsibility with their child. The website has information targeted at individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and information on how to tailor family planning services for adolescents. The Sex Education Resource Center has resources for teachers and sexual health policy advocates.
The Puberty and Autism Spectrum Disorders Information Sheet provides advice targeted towards parents who have children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Information is provided to parents on when to begin preparing to discuss puberty with their son or daughter, using social stories to describe changes their son or daughter will experience during puberty, and suggested topics for social stories.
This organization provides education and resources primarily for health care professionals and educators, but also provides links to resources for parents and teens.
Autism in Love is a film that captures the challenges individuals with Autism face when searching for love, companionship, and happiness.
This website provides information on sexuality education for students with disabilities. The website provides resources on sexuality, how disability may affect sexuality, resources for parents on talking with their child about sexuality, and resource for specific disabilities.
Specifically designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this program educates older teens and adults about how to create and maintain healthy friendships and romantic relationships.
For administrators, advocates, and interested parents, this website provides the National Sexuality Education Standards (NSES), which is used by some states and school districts to provide age-appropriate sexuality education. The curriculum covers seven content and skill development areas including anatomy and physiology, puberty and adolescent development, identity, pregnancy and reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, healthy relationships, and personal safety.
GULP is a newsletter created by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. This edition discusses sexuality and developmental disability and encourages parents to discuss sexuality with their children because all people are sexual beings regardless of disability. GULP addresses common myths surrounding disability and sexuality and provides tips to parents to help guide conversations around sexuality.
This resource guide was created by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services. Adolescents with disabilities and their families and providers helped to create this guide. Topics included in the guide are: puberty and human development, puberty and human development and Autism Spectrum Disorder, social skills and relationship development, sexual orientation and identity, and sexual health and human rights.
Parent Action for Healthy Kids helps to connect parents, communities, and schools to improve the health and well-being of children and youth. Parent Action for Healthy Kids focuses on: Emerging Children’s Health issues, sex education, mental health, school wellness programs, and physical activity and nutrition.
This tool kit was created by Autism Speaks to help link parents to resources related to autism and puberty. The tool kit was created in collaboration with parents who have children with autism and the parents provide advice based on their personal experiences. Topics include: body changes, self-care and hygiene, menstruation, public vs. private, staying safe, and internet safety.
This website provides information to families who have children with Autism. This resource provides families with information on how to talk to their daughters about menstruation and provides strategies on how to discuss this milestone. This website also addresses sexuality and relationships for teenagers with autism spectrum disorder.
The Autism Self Advocacy Network has created a RealTalk Provider Toolkit. This toolkit has information on how providers can be more supportive of the sexuality of individuals with disabilities. RealTalk provides a space for young people with disabilities to discuss sexuality and relationships. RealTalk has also hosted a webinar and slides to this webinar can be found on their website.
For parents and educators, this website provides lesson plans for the following topics: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, society and culture, and other resources.
This website provides parents tools to discuss human sexuality with their children. There are resources specific for parents who have children with developmental disabilities which includes activities to use with your children to help them learn assertive communication, decision-making skills, tips on how to start discussions on sexuality, how to help parents teach their children about sexual feelings, and tips to teach sexual abuse prevention. Additional resources are specific for parents who have children with physical disabilities. An extensive glossary is also available to help parents discuss terms related to sexuality.
The article Talking about Puberty with Children with Autism encourages parents to be proactive in talking about puberty with their child with Autism. The article provides tips on how to discuss puberty including using language that is simple and direct, being available to talk about their child’s questions, helping to label body parts appropriately, and using visual supports to guide parent child discussion.
This book, by Mary Wrobel, provides parents and other support persons strategies on how to create stories to discuss hygiene, body growth and development, menstruation, personal safety, and self-care skills.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has created two parent guides on puberty for boys and girls with disabilities. Each guide provides information to parents on how to discuss puberty with their son or daughter, and other information on hygiene, how to support children socially, and other gender specific changes. Appendices for each guide have social story examples for boys and social story examples for girls.
The Empowered Fe Fes are an advocacy and peer support group at Access Living in Chicago. The Empowered Fe Fes have created a reproductive health guide for women with disabilities. The guide is targeted towards women with disabilities, health care providers, parents, and community organizations.
A place where you can learn about all forms of birth control. The website covers every form of birth control available and describes the cost, how to use the form of birth control, side effects, and problems associated with each method.
The Mayo Clinic provides information on the basics of birth control and different forms of birth control to match the birth control needs of individuals.
The Office on Women’s Health is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Office on Women’s Health ePublications provides answers to common questions on birth control and information on different types of birth control.
Different forms of birth control are provided including information on each forms effectiveness to prevent pregnancy, how the form of birth control works, the benefits and disadvantages, and how to use the form of birth control.
This menu provides information to individuals on choices of sexual activity and the level of risk associated with each activity. This menu provides information on the level of risk associated with each sexual activity and whether it is no risk, no real risk, low risk, and high risk of the transmission of HIV.
The Facts of Life… and More is a publication by Leslie Walker-Hirsch. This book helps guide professionals on how to educate individuals with intellectual disabilities about sexuality in a culturally competent and individualized manner. The Facts of Life…And More also provides insight to the reader on parents’ perspectives on sexuality and information on how professionals can help guide parents on how to discuss sexuality with their child.
This website provides information on teen dating violence and includes information on the warning signs of dating violence, legal protections, dating violence research, and the Teen Power & Control Wheel.
Safe Place is an organization based in Austin, Texas that serves survivors of child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, exploitation, and domestic violence. Safe Place offers disability specific fact sheets that can be accessed here. Safe Place has adapted a power and control wheel for people with disabilities in partner relationships and a respect wheel.
The Genderbread Person provides a visual to help explain the differences between gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, and sexual and romantic attractions.
This resource provides definitions on biological sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Information, resources, and online community for individuals who do not experience sexual attraction. Fact sheets are available for family and friends.
Queerability is an LGBTQ and disability rights organization that provides information on LGBTQ and disability issues.
Wyoming Institute for Disabilities
1000 E. University Ave. Dept. 4298
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2718
Email: srh@uwyo.edu