Sex Education for Disabled Children

Providing sex education to children with disabilities is acquiring more importance in today's world. Sex and sexuality are very tricky areas for parents to converse with children. The difficulty heightens if their children are disabled. Parents of many disabled children are often worried over their children's sexual relationship. They wonder if the child would have a normal sex life.

Due to this confusion many children with developmental disabilities may find themselves navigating to minefield of adolescence, without an opportunity to learn about sexuality. Sex education is a healthy way, through which children with developmental disabilities can recognize and accept their real selves without any inhibitions.

Puberty is a universal experience for disabled and non-disabled children alike. Disability does not rule out sexual feelings, sexual needs and sexual capabilities. However children with disabilities may undergo physical and emotional change due to their developmental disabilities. Sex education will empower these children to realize that everyone undergoes the many physical and emotional changes, that they are experiencing. Morover sex education will enable these children to indulge in responsible sexual behaviors and this will also save them from abuses.

Sex education will guide the children with disabilities, to stay away from sexual relationships. Most importantly the children get all information about teen pregnancies, Sexually Transmitted diseases (STDs) and other infections through good sex education. In this situation sex education and safety awareness programmes with specific relevance for disabled children should be developed and made available.

The disabilities of children may vary from person to person. Sex education must start at an early age for children with disabilities and must be repeated whenever necessary. These Children need to know about sexual development, reproduction, contraception and sexual relationships. Sex education for children can be done through simplified, age appropriate reading materials and media. The use of audiovisual materials and interactive games will facilitate these children to have a more effective sex education.