Supporting sexual safety for autistic young people

25 July

Written By Maree Crabbe

Sex can be fantastic, but it can also be awful, and everything in between. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people to have negative sexual experiences. One of the best ways to prevent negative (pressured, coercive or abusive) sexual experiences is through access to good information, education and support.

We need to talk with young people – including autistic young people – about some key things to support their sexual safety.

Q: How do I support sexual safety for autistic young people?

A: We need to talk with young people – including autistic young people – about:

2: Building trust with people over time.

3: Signs that a relationship is not healthy – such as pressure, threats, or controlling behaviour like trying to limit our access to family or friends

4: Keeping safe online – including not accessing illegal or degrading content and not sharing private information or images with anyone we don’t know well and trust

5: Where and how we can seek help and support, and how important it is to do so

Maree Crabbe

Autism and technology

Autistic young people want to address pornography in their sexuality education