Sexual education in children, adolescents, and young people with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review of the literature from the last four decades
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18050/psiquemag.v15i1.3902Keywords:
sexual education, autism, sexuality, systematic reviewAbstract
Currently, research indicates that autistic individuals have both the right and the need to receive adequate sexual education that promotes their overall development. However, to date, no systematic review has been conducted to synthesize the research findings on this topic. The objective of this systematic review was to examine and synthesize research on sexual education for autistic individuals. A total of 17 studies published between 1976 and 2022 were selected from WoS, Scopus, PubMed, PsycArticles, and ProQuest. The PRISMA method was used as a methodological guideline, and the quality of the selected studies was assessed using the QATSDD. The results revealed the existence of four perspectives for addressing the sexual education of adolescents, young adults, and adult autistic individuals. Moreover, the findings of this research demonstrate that autistic individuals have fewer opportunities to access sexual education, highlighting the need to provide greater coverage in teaching in this area. The implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.
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