Association for Behavior Analysis International

Sexuality is a typical part of the human experience, therefore autistic persons have every right to access their sexuality in a healthy manner as appropriate and desired.. Education about body parts, privacy, social boundaries, inappropriate and appropriate touching can be used as a tool to prevent harm and abuse. However, there are also many other skills that a behavior analyst may be called upon to teach in order to allow autistic individuals to experience pleasure from sexual behavior as they desire. Working in this area, however, is not without its ethical considerations. The BACB Ethics Code provides guidance on how to best benefit our clients and do no harm. Research indicates that a large portion of those on the Autism Spectrum are in the LGTBQ+ community. To best support all individuals on the spectrum, it is paramount that we acknowledge their unique experiences, desires, and challenges while assisting them through their journey of discovering their sexual identity and well being. Through this panel, the goal is to help professionals teach students with disabilities about their sexuality and sexual behavior in a way that makes sense to them through methodologies already used in ABA practice and within their scope of competence.

Participants should have prerequisite skills such as general knowledge of BACB ethical standards and Applied Behavior Analysis as it relates to ASD. This panel is appropriate for Behavior Analyst, Psychologist, Social Workers, Graduate Students, Speech Language Pathologist, Educators and Parents.