Sex education is an important part of any student’s development, and is espcially vital for students with special needs. Access to comprehensive information regarding sexuality can help these individuals better understand the changes they are experiencing and equip them with the tools to make healthy decisions, foster positive relationships, stay safe, and increase self-confidence. These special education sex education resources can support teachers as they equip students with special needs with the information and skills that protect them from victimization.
In order to ensure that sex education is specifically tailored for special education students, it should include age-appropriate core content areas, such as anatomy and physiology, as well as issues like reproductive health and understanding consent in order to build on their social and emotional development. To learn more about ways to make sex education inclusive and accessible, please read our series of posts on Disability and Sexuality by Ashira Greenberg.
I receive many requests for special education resources, including professional development, resources, and curricula for sex educators to use with students with special needs. After doing some exploring and getting input from other sex educators and special educators, I have developed a list of puberty resources for students with special needs to make it easier to teach about this important topic. Click the link to see the accumulated list of suggested Special Education Sex Education PD, Curricula, and Resources (PDF).
Additional special education sex education resources can be found at the Center for Parent Education and Resources.
Armed with more information and the right resources, many teachers and families of people with disabilities find it easier to talk about puberty and sexuality.
I hope this helps as you differentiate sex education to meet the needs of all your students.
updated 2023-10-4
