Lindsey DeVries, Kelly T. Cosgrove, Ilana Hayutin, Christine Dub, Valentina Postorino, Caitlin Middleton
{"title":"The Birds and Bees: A Pilot Study of a Parent-Led Sexual Health Education Program for Autistic Youth","authors":"Lindsey DeVries, Kelly T. Cosgrove, Ilana Hayutin, Christine Dub, Valentina Postorino, Caitlin Middleton","doi":"10.1007/s11195-024-09869-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parents of autistic youth often express uncertainty in addressing topics related to sexual health and puberty with their children. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Birds and Bees program, a novel, group-based sexual and reproductive health education (SRE) program for parents of autistic youth. Parents (n = 10) completed measures of their knowledge about SRE topics, self-efficacy, outcome expectations for discussing these topics with their children, and child daily living skills pre- and post-intervention. Of the ten parents enrolled in the intervention, six completed the program. Treatment completers attended 77% of sessions (an average of 6 of the 8 sessions). Parent acceptability of the program was high. There was support for increased parent knowledge (Hedge’s <i>g</i> = 0.79), self-efficacy (Hedge’s <i>g</i> = 0.75), and outcome expectations (Hedge’s <i>g</i> = 0.51) from pre- to post-intervention. No meaningful changes in parent report of their child’s personal daily living skills were reported (Hedge’s <i>g</i> = 0.15). Implications of these results illustrate the positive impact of an innovative parent-led SRE program for caregivers of autistic youth.</p>","PeriodicalId":51537,"journal":{"name":"Sexuality and Disability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sexuality and Disability","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-024-09869-4","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Parents of autistic youth often express uncertainty in addressing topics related to sexual health and puberty with their children. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Birds and Bees program, a novel, group-based sexual and reproductive health education (SRE) program for parents of autistic youth. Parents (n = 10) completed measures of their knowledge about SRE topics, self-efficacy, outcome expectations for discussing these topics with their children, and child daily living skills pre- and post-intervention. Of the ten parents enrolled in the intervention, six completed the program. Treatment completers attended 77% of sessions (an average of 6 of the 8 sessions). Parent acceptability of the program was high. There was support for increased parent knowledge (Hedge’s g = 0.79), self-efficacy (Hedge’s g = 0.75), and outcome expectations (Hedge’s g = 0.51) from pre- to post-intervention. No meaningful changes in parent report of their child’s personal daily living skills were reported (Hedge’s g = 0.15). Implications of these results illustrate the positive impact of an innovative parent-led SRE program for caregivers of autistic youth.
期刊介绍:
Sexuality and Disability is an international forum for the publication of peer-reviewed original interdisciplinary scholarly papers that address the psychological and medical aspects of sexuality in relation to rehabilitation. Publishing timely research articles, review articles, case studies, clinical practice reports, brief research reports, survey data reports, and book and film reviews, the journal offers the latest developments in the area of sexuality as it relates to a wide range of disabilities and conditions. Contributions address: clinical and research progress; community programs; independent-living programs; guidelines for clinical practice; special grand-rounds topics; consumer issues; and contemporary developments in special programs in sex education and counseling for people with disabilities. The journal features special issues with internationally renowned guest editors focusing on current topics in sexual health. By publishing research, best-practice, evidence-based, and educational articles, the journal seeks to contribute to the field''s knowledge base and advancement. Sexuality and Disability is an essential resource for the exchange of new knowledge, issues, techniques, and available modalities for researchers and other professionals addressing the psychological and medical aspects of sexuality in rehabilitation, medical, academic, and community settings.