Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jul;29(3):543-556.
doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2020.02.007. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Sexuality and Gender Issues in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Laura A Pecora  1 , Merrilyn Hooley  1 , Laurie Sperry  2 , Gary B Mesibov  3 , Mark A Stokes  4
Affiliations
Review

Sexuality and Gender Issues in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Laura A Pecora et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

This article reviews relevant literature on sexuality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Findings reveal a growing awareness of desire for sexual and intimate relationships in individuals with ASD. However, core impairments of ASD lead to difficulties establishing requisite knowledge and skills necessary to attain a healthy sexuality and facilitate relationships. Consequently, individuals with ASD present with increased risk of engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviors and sexual victimization than their typically developing peers. The literature asserts the need to implement effective sexual education programs to assist in development of healthy sexual identity and relationships that meet each individual's needs.

Keywords: Autism; Autism spectrum disorder; Gender; Relationships; Sexual functioning; Sexual orientation; Sexuality; Transgender.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles