Abstract
Group home caregivers of 24 institutionalized, male, high-functioning adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, were interviewed with the Interview Sexuality Autism. Most subjects were reported to express sexual interest and to display some kind of sexual behavior. Knowledge of socio-sexual skills existed, but practical use was moderate. Masturbation was common. Many subjects were seeking physical contact with others. Half of the sample had experienced a relationship, while three were reported to have had sexual intercourse. The number of bisexual orientations appeared high. Ritual-sexual use of objects and sensory fascinations with a sexual connotation were sometimes present. A paraphilia was present in two subjects. About one third of the group needed intervention regarding sexual development or behavior.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Bagley, C., & Tremblay, P. (1998). On the prevalence of homosexuality and bisexuality, in a random community survey of 750 men aged 18 to 27. Journal of Homosexuality, 36, 1–18.
Brugman, E., Goedhart, H., Vogels, T., & Van Zessen, G. (1995). Jeugd en seks 95. Resultaten van het nationale scholierenonderzoek. Utrecht: SWP.
Craft, A. (1994). Practice issues in sexuality and learning disabilities. London: Routledge.
Frenken, J. (2002). Strafbare seksualiteit en seksueel deviant gedrag: definities en prevalenties. Tijdschrift Klinische Psychologie, 32, 6–12.
Ford, A. (1987). Sex education for individuals with autism: Structuring information and opportunities. In D. J. Cohen, & A. M. Donnellan (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 430–439). New York: John Wiley.
Gray, S., Ruble, L., & Dalrymple, N. (2000). Autism and sexuality: A guide for instruction. Bloomington: Autism Society of Indiana.
Hellemans, H. (1989). Seksuele opvoeding bij jongeren met autisme. In T. Peeters (Ed.), Referatenbundel In-service (pp. 55–63). Antwerp, Belgium: Opleidingscentrum Autisme.
Hellemans, H. (1996). Autisme en seksualiteit. Ghent, Belgium: Vlaamse Vereniging Autisme.
Hingsburger, D., Griffiths, D., & Quinsey, V. (1991). Detecting counterfeit deviance: Differentiating sexual deviance from sexual inappropriateness. The Habilitative Mental Healthcare Newsletter, 10, 51–54.
Kempton, W. (1999a). Life horizons I. The physiological and emotional aspects of being male and female. Santa Monica: James Stanfield.
Kempton, W. (1999b). Life horizons II. The moral, social and legal aspects of sexuality. Santa Monica: James Stanfield.
Kempton, W. (2003). Socialization and sexuality: A comprehensive training guide for professional helping people with disabilities that hinder learning. Winifred Kempton Associates.
Kobayashi, R. (1996). Psychosexual development of autistic children during adolescence. In M. Shimizu (Ed.), Recent progress in child and adolescent psychiatry (pp. 12–20). Tokyo: Springer.
Koller, R. (2000). Sexuality and adolescents with autism. Sexuality and Disability, 18, 125–135.
Konstantareas, M., & Lunsky, Y. (1997). Sociosexual knowledge, experience, attitudes and interests of individuals with autistic disorder and developmental delay. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 397–413.
Landén, M., & Rasmussen, P. (1997). Gender identity disorder in a girl with autism – A case report. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 6, 170–173.
Maletzky, B. M. (1998). The paraphilias: Research and treatment. In P. E. Nathan, & J. M. Gorman (Eds.), A guide to treatments that work (pp. 525–557). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Meister, C., Norlock, D., Honeyman, S., & Pierce, K. (1994). Sexuality and autism: A parenting skills enhancement group. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 3, 283–289.
Melone, M., & Lettick, A. (1983). Sex education at Benhaven. In E. Schopler, & G. Mesibov (Eds.), Autism in adolescents and adults (pp. 169–186). New York: Plenum Press.
Ousley, O. Y., & Mesibov, G. B. (1991). Sexual attitudes and knowledge of high-functioning adolescents and adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21, 471–481.
Realmuto, G. M., & Ruble, L. A. (1999). Sexual behaviors in autism: Problems of definition and management. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 121–127.
Ruble, L., & Dalrymple, N. (1993). Social/sexual awareness of persons with autism: A parental perspective. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 22, 229–240.
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States – SIECUS. (1996). Guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education: Kindergarten–12th grade. www.siecus.org/pubs/.
van Bourgondien, M., Reichle, N., & Palmer, A. (1997). Sexual behavior in adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 113–125.
Vanhove, T., & Matthijs, K. (2003). Houdingen omtrent huwelijk en echtscheiding bij eerstekandidatuurstudenten aan de K.U. Leuven. Leuven: Centrum voor Bevolkings- en Gezinsonderzoek.
van Son-Schoones, N., & van Bilsen, P. (1995). Sexuality and autism. A pilot-study of parents, health care workers and autistic persons. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 8, 87–101.
Vogels, T., & van der Vliet, R. (1990). Jeugd en seks. Gedrag en gezondheidsrisico’s bij scholieren. ‘s. Gravenhage: SDU.
Williams, P. G., Allard, A., & Sears, L. (1996). Case study: Cross-gender preoccupations in two male children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 635–642.
Acknowledgments
We thank the subjects and their parents who gave their consent to this study, and the caregivers who had to stand the time-consuming ISA-interview. We also want to thank Herbert Roeyers (University Ghent) and Peggy Cohen-Kettenis (Free University Amsterdam) for their help in developing the initial concept of this study. Preliminary results of this study were presented as a poster at the 1st International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Diego, November 9th and 10th, 2001.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hellemans, H., Colson, K., Verbraeken, C. et al. Sexual Behavior in High-Functioning Male Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 37, 260–269 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0159-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0159-1