Location
Nova Southeaster University Tampa Bay Regional Campus Rm 1801
Event Type
Poster
Start Date
12-7-2025 8:00 AM
End Date
12-7-2025 12:00 PM
Description
Purpose
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report having less sexual experience and engaging in fewer social-sexual behaviors when compared to those without ASD. The purpose of this study is to discover how the quality of sexual education has impacted individuals with high-functioning ASD (HFASD) engagement in sexual activity.
Methods
This qualitative phenomenological study used semi-structured interview questions based on the purpose of the study and identified research questions. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants.
Results
Findings indicated that female adults with HFASD received inconsistent and incomplete sexual education impacting their sexual experiences, safety, and quality of life. All participants received late diagnoses of ASD, highlighted an early history of sexual abuse, struggled with intimate relationships, and identified as sexual minorities within the LGBTQ+ community.
Conclusion
It is necessary to provide sexual education encapsulating high-quality and comprehensive information about consent, safety, and one’s bodily responses and sensitivities during engagement in sexual activity for adolescents and adults with HFASD. Occupational therapists can play a role in adapting sexual education information for understanding and managing sensory sensitivities during intimate encounters.
Keywords
HFASD adults, sexuality, sexual education, phenomenology
Recommended Citation
D'Amico, M., Maldonado, A. N., Fuentes, G., & Meston, A. (2025), Sexuality and Sexual Activity of Adults 21 to 35 years with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, Poster, Twelfth Annual Research Colloquium, Nova Southeaster University Tampa Bay Regional Campus Rm 1801, https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ot_colloquium/twelfth/events/8
Included in
Sexuality and Sexual Activity of Adults 21 to 35 years with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
Nova Southeaster University Tampa Bay Regional Campus Rm 1801
Purpose
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report having less sexual experience and engaging in fewer social-sexual behaviors when compared to those without ASD. The purpose of this study is to discover how the quality of sexual education has impacted individuals with high-functioning ASD (HFASD) engagement in sexual activity.
Methods
This qualitative phenomenological study used semi-structured interview questions based on the purpose of the study and identified research questions. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants.
Results
Findings indicated that female adults with HFASD received inconsistent and incomplete sexual education impacting their sexual experiences, safety, and quality of life. All participants received late diagnoses of ASD, highlighted an early history of sexual abuse, struggled with intimate relationships, and identified as sexual minorities within the LGBTQ+ community.
Conclusion
It is necessary to provide sexual education encapsulating high-quality and comprehensive information about consent, safety, and one’s bodily responses and sensitivities during engagement in sexual activity for adolescents and adults with HFASD. Occupational therapists can play a role in adapting sexual education information for understanding and managing sensory sensitivities during intimate encounters.