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Sexual Education: A Case Study of an Adolescent with a Diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified and Intellectual Disability

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Abstract

The transition from adolescence to adulthood may be a challenging period for all young people, yet, for youth with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) it may present some additional challenges. Developing a more coherent sense of the self, defining one’s values and having a sexual awakening are all important processes for the passage from youth to an adult life. People with ASD have difficulties in the aforementioned areas and also face additional risks for sexual exploitation or even abuse. Those challenges underline the importance of sexual education for individuals with ASD. The aim of this case study is to systematically investigate the effectiveness of a behavior analytic intervention in helping an adolescent with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) improve in the area of sexual behavior and at the same time minimize his inappropriate behavior. Specifically: (a) to develop a verbal repertoire pertaining to adolescence and sexuality, (b) to improve personal hygiene skills, (c) to develop or improve self-satisfaction related to sexual expression, (d) to decrease inappropriate behavior pertaining to sexuality, and (e) to train the father to undertake a part of the intervention that would be unethical for the researcher to contact—monitor the participant’s masturbation practices. Using a multiple-baseline-across-response-categories experimental design, it was demonstrated that the majority of the aforementioned goals were attained, yet, one goal—the decrease of inappropriate behavior—was only temporarily reached.

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Notes

  1. Additionally, they should be stated with clear articulation, provided within 5″ following the researcher's question, provided without help, and not accompanied by a disruptive or stereotypic behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Illisia (3rd Floor), 15784, Athens, Greece

    Georgios Gkogkos, Maria Staveri, Petros Galanis & Angeliki Gena

  2. Athens, Greece

    Georgios Gkogkos

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  1. Georgios Gkogkos
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  2. Maria Staveri
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  3. Petros Galanis
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  4. Angeliki Gena
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Correspondence to Georgios Gkogkos.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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As described above in the ‘‘Method’’ section, informed consent or assent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Parents provided informed consent, and adolescents provided assent.

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Gkogkos, G., Staveri, M., Galanis, P. et al. Sexual Education: A Case Study of an Adolescent with a Diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified and Intellectual Disability. Sex Disabil 39, 439–453 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-019-09594-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-019-09594-3

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