Parents: Talking about Sex with a Child with Developmental Disabilities

Our motto here at Planned Parenthood is "Sex is a part of life. Be prepared. Talk about it". But talking about sex and sexuality may seem like a unique challenge if you talking with a child with developmental disabilities.

Here are a few tips to help a child with developmental disabilities understand topics such as puberty, sex, love, self-esteem and so on:

  1. Use as many pictures as you can. Photos of family members or friends can be a springboard for talking about relationships and social interactions.
  2. Use repetition, with small amounts of information space out over time.
  3. Make an anatomically correct body chart ~ this is one concrete way to show where body parts are and what they do.
  4. Break down tasks (such as personal hygiene during menstruation) into several small steps. Review steps and provide praise often.
  5. Practice talking! Provide situations and role-plays for the child to practice their communication skills. Help them find and use ways to communicate about their body.
  6. Find, develop, and maintain a healthy sense of humor!
  7. No one approach to sexuality education is the best. Parents, teachers and caregivers have an opportunity to investigate, experiment, be creative and learn from both successes and challenges!

To learn more about talking or working with children with developmental disabilities about sexuality, give us a call. We have many books and resources to help out!

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