SkillTalk: Communication Training around Sexual Health Topics for Parents of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT SkillTalkCommunication Training around Sexual Health Topics for Parents of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Adolescents with Autism Spectrum DisorderASDface a range of impairments in social interaction and communication settingsincluding those involved with sexual communication and behaviorLike their neurotypical peersadolescents with ASD need comprehensive sexual education to learn and practice healthy sexual development and relationshipsand to prevent negative sexual outcomes such as unwanted pregnancySTIssexual abuseand inappropriate sexual behaviorsUnfortunatelymany adolescents with ASD are engaging in sexual activities and behaviors with little or no sexual education until a crisis occursTargetedevidence based sexual education resources for ASD youth are limited and not routinely offered in schoolsWhile experts recommend that all parents serve as the primary sex educators for their childrenparents of adolescents with ASD face additionalcomplex challengesThese include uncertainties about how and when to communicate about sexfears of inciting inappropriate behaviorand worries about their child s psychosexual functioningsuch as limited awareness of public and personal boundariesIn additionparents are providing less sexual health educationwith limited topicsand at a later age than is provided to neurotypical youthTo address these issues and provide support to parentsthis Phase I SBIR project will develop and test a highly focused microskills video library called SkillTalk ASDThe resource will build and support the skills that parents of ASD youth need to offer sexual education to their childrenThis mobile friendly site will provide video modeling of critical parent microskills for teaching sexual education to ASD youth in a way that is engaginginstructionally soundand encourages repeat and continued useWhen completethe site will include approximatelyvideo clipsgrouped into skill clustersthat visually demonstrate a microskill insecondsIn additionthe resource will includecompanion Making Connections youth videos offering visual modeling of social sexual communication scenarios to help facilitate parent discussion and that ASD youth can watch multiple times for re enforcementPhase I will test feasibility byconducting formative research to further understand the needs of parents of ASD youthdeveloping the content for and producingmicro kills within two skill clusters andMaking Connection videosdeveloping the prototype web siteincluding establishing the technology infrastructureandconducting a pilot evaluation to determine the possible impact of the resource on communication skills and knowledge with a small number of parents of ASD youthIn phase IIthe project will complete development of the remaining parent microskills videos and Making Connections youth videosconcluding with a large scale evaluation of SkillTalk ASD PUBLIC HEALTH NARRATIVE Approximatelyinchildren are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum DisorderASDand adolescents with ASD face a range of impairments in social interaction and communication settingsincluding those involved with sexual communication and behaviorAdolescents with ASD need comprehensive sexual education to learn and practice healthy sexual development and relationshipsand to prevent negative sexual outcomesUnfortunatelymany adolescents with ASD are engaging in sexual activities and behaviors with little or no sexual education until a crisis occursTargeted sexual education resources for ASD youth are limited and not routinely offered in schoolsleaving parents to provide comprehensive tailored sexual health information to their adolescentsThe proposed SkillTalk ASD resource will build and support the skills that parents of ASD youth need to offer sexual education to their children by providing video modeling of critical parent microskills for communicating about sexual health to ASD youthand videos for youth with ASD offering visual modeling of social sexual communication scenariosThe projectif successfulwill improve sexual health education for those with ASDultimately reducing negative sexual outcomes such as unintended pregnancySTIssexual abuseand inappropriate sexual behaviors