The Right to Love and Be Loved: Sexual Health Education for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Main Article Content
Keywords
Sexual health education, intellectual and developmental disabilities, social connection
Abstract
Although there has been notable progress in educational inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), they generally receive inadequate sexual health education. This paper outlines the historical factors for this gap, current practices in sexual health education, and related outcomes for this group of students.
References
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Committee on Bioethics. (1999). Sterilization of minors with developmental disabilities. Pediatrics, 104(2), 337-340. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.104.2.337
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Cassell, C. & Wilson, P. M. (1989). Sexuality education. Garland Publishing, Inc.
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Cohen, S. (2004). Social relationships and health. American Psychologist, 676-684. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.8.676
Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, D. P., Rabin, B. S., & Gwaltney, J. M., Jr. (1997). Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1940-1944. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1997.03540480040036
Cohen, S., Underwood, L. G., & Gottlieb, B. H. (Eds.). (2000). Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists. Oxford University Press.
Collier, K. L. (2023, May 31-June 2). Sexual and reproductive health education for youth with intellectual disabilities: A mixed methods study of professionals’ practices and needs [presentation]. 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR), Washington, D.C.
Cornog, M. & Perper, T. (1996). For sex education, see librarian: A guide to issues and resources. Greenwood Press.
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1401-1461 (1975).
Emerson, E. & McVilly, K. (2004). Friendship activities of adults with intellectual disabilities in supported accommodation in Northern England. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 17, 191-197. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3148.2004.00198.x
Eng, P. M., Rimm, E. B., Fitzmaurice, G., & Kawachi, I. (2002). Social ties and change in social ties in relation to subsequent total and cause-specific mortality and coronary heart disease incidence in men. American Journal of Epidemiology, 155, 700-709.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aje/155.8.700
Foley, K.-R., Dyke, P., Girdler, S., Bourke, J., & Leonard, H. (2012). Young adults with
intellectual disability transitioning from school to post-school: A literature review framed within the ICF. Disability and Rehabilitation, 34, 1747–1764. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2012.660603
Forte, M., Jahoda, A., & Dagnan, D. (2011). An anxious time? Exploring the nature of worries experienced by young people with a mild to moderate intellectual disability as they make the transition to adulthood. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50, 398-411. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.2010.02002.x
Frank, K. & Sandman, L. (2019). Supporting parents as sexuality educators for individuals with intellectual disability: The development of the home B.A.S.E curriculum. Sexuality and Disability, 37, 329-337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-019-09582-7
Froese, P., Richardson, M., Romer, L. & Swank, M. (1999). Comparing opinions of people with developmental disabilities and significant persons in their lives using the individual supports identification system (ISIS). Disability & Society, 14, 831-843. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599925920
Goodley, D. (2017). Disability studies: An interdisciplinary introduction. Sage.
Haber, M. G., Mazzotti, V. L., Mustian, A. L., Rowe, D. A., Bartholomew, A. L., & Fowler, C. H. (2015). What works, when, for whom, and with whom: A meta-analytic review of predictors of postsecondary success for students with disabilities. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 123-162. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315583135
Holt-Lunstad, J., Robles, T. F., & Sbarra, D. A. (2017). Advancing social connection as a public health priority in the United States. American Psychologist, 72(6), 517-530. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000103
Holt-Lunstad, J. Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, (7)7, e1000316. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400-1415 (2004).
Kayser, A., Alpert, B., Toevs, K, & Ramachandan, D. (2018). In their own words: Guidelines for supporting the sexual health of young people experiencing intellectual/developmental disabilities. Multnomah County Health Department. https://multco.us/school/sexual-health-youth-developmental-disabilities
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., & Newton, T. L. (2001). Marriage and health: His and hers. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 472-503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.4.472
Kirby, D. (2008). The impact of abstinence and comprehensive sex and STX/HIV education programs on adolescent sexual behavior. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 5(3), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2008.5.3.18
Knox, M. & Hickson, F. (2001). The meanings of close friendship: The views of four people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 14, 276-291. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-3148.2001.00066.x
Kohler, P. K., Manhart, L. E., & Lafferty, W. E. (2008). Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4), 344-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.026
Koller, D., Le Pouesard, M., Rummens, J. A. (2018). Defining social inclusion for children with disabilities: A critical literature review. Children and Society, 32, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12223
Koster, M., Pijl, S.J. , Nakkhen, H., Van Houten, E. (2010). Social participation of students with special needs in regular primary education in the Netherlands. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 57, 59-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10349120903537905
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Aug 9, 2024
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Author Biographies
Andrew Roach, Georgia State University
Andrew Roach, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Counseling & Psychological Services at Georgia State University. From 2013-2018, he served as associate director for the Center for Leadership in Disability, a federally-funded University Center for Excellence in Development Disabilities Education, Research and Service. He also is co-founder of the Inclusive Digital Expression and Literacy Program (IDEAL), Georgia State’s inclusive postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities.
Anne Stair, Cherokee County School District
Anne Stair, PhD, is a school psychologist with the Cherokee County (GA) School District. She has completed training in the Friendships and Dating Program (FDP), an evidence-based, comprehensive approach to teaching individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities the skills needed to develop healthy meaningful relationships and avoid interpersonal violence.