Topic: Relationships and Sexuality

One of the more difficult issues facing agencies is how to deal with relationship and sexuality issues. Person-centered planning might include the desire to have a relationship with another person that could be intimate.

Agencies that have no policy often provide a negative message to people with IDD and their staff or give no message at all and then staff impose their values. The YAI policy on Relationships and Sexuality was designed based upon a model that was shared by an agency in New Zealand. We needed a much more specific policy that dealt with a myriad of issues for people with IDD and their families, as well as staff. Please feel free to adapt the policy to the needs of your agency.

This engaging lesson plan explores concepts and beliefs surrounding sexual orientation and sexual expression. It also contains clear information about when sex is legal and illegal.

Through activities, participants explore the traditional roles of men and women they learned about growing up and compare those to their life experience and current beliefs. 

Lively discussion and learning are always an outgrowth of this lesson plan!

In this lesson, participants learn that people who have strong relationships are happier and more resilient. 

Through discussion and activities, participants learn how to recognize a potential friend and ways they can build and strengthen their friendships.

We spoke with David Hingsburger about various social/sexual issues including re-conceptualizing sexual abuse, parents and sexuality, and his “one bit of advice” for social/sexual educators.

Genital education and care are often overlooked because of teaching and learning unease with these subjects.

This lesson plan addresses this discomfort with humor and creative exercises to deliver a full educational program on male and female care.  It includes information about menstruation, peri-menopause and menopause as well as breast and genital monthly self-checks. 

This packet contains graphic drawings to support learning.

Friendship, dating, love, sex.  Like the rest of us, people with developmental disabilities want it all!

This field tested curriculum will guide you through the steps for teaching people with developmental disabilities the skills they need to have a happy social life. The 17 workshop units include: “What to talk about on a Date,” “How to Deal with Rejection,” “How to Show You Care without Sex,”  “HIV/AIDS,” and “How to Speak Body Language.” 

Discuss, debate, role play, dramatize, laugh and generally have a fabulous time teaching and learning from this curriculum!

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) might have difficulty in forming intimate relationships. Needless to say, forming intimate relationships can be very challenging for many people, whether disabled or not. We have supported people with IDD in living productive lives in the community, especially in regard to housing and jobs. Yet often supporting intimate relationships is overlooked.

This innovative five part series teaches the required essential skills. The five sections are:

1. Assertiveness
2. Boundaries
3. Communication
4. Initiating a Date
5. Rejection/Breakup

Each unit is designed to be highly interactive, including role playing and numerous exercises.

In order for an adult to engage in sexual activity with another,adult, legally each person must be able to provide informed consent. Being able to provide informed consent is normally automatic based upon attaining a legal age as mandated
each state. However, if a person has an intellectual/developmental disability, the courts will defer to professionals in our field making that determination. Included in this packet of information are policies and guidelines for determining consent and two tools, for higher functioning verbal people with IDD and a separate tool for those people who are not as high functioning or verbal.

What physical and emotional changes occur as we grow from children to adults?  What are the different parts of our genitals called and what function do they serve?

These and many other questions are addressed through clear information and creative exercises. Graphic drawings to support education accompany this training.

This lesson plan is filled with engaging activities that will help people with intellectual disabilities identify feelings and respond to them appropriately. 

They will learn to identify their own emotions and meet their needs with more consideration and better results.  They’ll also learn how to identify the feelings of others along with the responses that are socially helpful.

Learning important social skills has never been so much fun!

Do the people you work with understand the difference between being friendly and being too friendly?  Do they know the appropriate times to socialize at work and the topics that are appropriate to discuss there?This unit teaches skills needed for appropriate socializing in the workplace.  Topics include the difference between a “home friend” and a “work friend,” too little versus too much socializing and the skill of small talk. This unit is part of the “Ready…Set…Work!” curriculum, which contains 31 teaching units.

The quality of a person’s life is connected to his/her ability to form meaningful intimate relationships. People with ID/DD often have multiple factors, including a late start on the dating scene, which affect this important aspect of their lives. 

Bobra Fyne, YAI’s pioneering educator for self advocacy and sexuality, shares ideas for jump starting the learning process and helping people with ID develop mastery of effective dating and relationship skills.

It can be very difficult for people with ID/DD to manage to date one another. Part of the problem is a lack of opportunity. Other issues include fear of rejection, how to take the first step and planning and executing a successful date. 

The engaging activities in this lesson plan help participants identify what they’re looking for in a romantic relationship and how these qualities are evident in behavior.

They will learn how to date in a manner that is well planned, within their budgets,  respectful and fun!

This lesson plan covers many of the tricky basics of first impressions.

How far away do I stand from the person I’m speaking to?  How can poor hygiene affect my interactions? How do I make my appearance appealing?

These questions are approached with creative exercises that will make the group roar with laughter!

Issues of sexual harassment are a challenge for all of us. People with developmental and intellectual disabilities face additional difficulties. They may feel uncomfortable in these situations but may be unable to articulate the problem. They may not realize that harassing behavior is illegal. Even when they understand that harassment is not OK, they may not have effective methods for fending off unwanted attention or the vehicles for reporting it. They may also unwittingly be the perpetrators of sexual harassment. 

This unit contains many hands-on activities that will teach consumers how to identify, handle and avoid sexual harassment. Activities include role plays that differentiate between our intent and the impact of what we say and do and scenarios that examine subtle and overt harassment. This unit is part of the “Ready…Set…Work!” curriculum, which contains 31 teaching units

This lesson teaches how to recognize the ways others view us and how we can influence their perception.

Exercises help learners identify emotions like boredom and interest to promote successful interaction. Methods for empathizing with others who are sad, shy or embarrassed is explored through creative activities.

During the 2009 YAI International Conference, we spoke with Dr. Isabel Hénault about the special issues that arise in the field of sexuality and individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome.

This lesson tackles the complex issues of pride and self worth. 

Through creative exercises, the learners will identify many of the skills, talents, traits and characteristics that they possess.  They will get to know themselves better by learning to follow every “I Can’t” statement by an “I Can” statement.

Once bolstered with this knowledge, learners will identify what they need from others to feel respected.