Definition
Teaching personal safety skills involves educating children about their private body parts, boundaries with others, personal privacy, and ability to say “no” to touches they do not want or are inappropriate. Conceptualized as part of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) prevention, educating youth about personal safety typically consists of teaching children knowledge and skills related to recognizing, responding to, and reporting potentially abusive situations (three R’s of prevention). Teaching personal safety skills considers the developmental and cognitive level of the child, and instruction can begin with very young children.
Historical Background
Childhood sexual abuse is a serious issue in the United States (USA). The latest figures estimate that approximately 57,964 children were confirmed victims of sexual abuse last year in the USA (US Department of Health and Human Services 2019). According to results from three administrations of the National Survey of Children’s...
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Kenny, M.C. (2020). Teaching Personal Safety. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102368-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102368-1
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