Teaching Children with Down Syndrome About Their Bodies, Boundaries & Sexuality

A Guide for Parents & Professionals

Terri Couwenhoven MS

2007 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award: Finalist in Parenting Category

2008 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA): Honors Award

Parents of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities are accustomed to paying close attention to their child's physical, cognitive, and emotional development. This proactive approach should also include their child's sexual development, which for many parents may not seem as obvious or urgent, especially to those with young children.

Drawing on her unique background as both a sexual educator and mother of a child with Down syndrome, the author blends factual information and practical ideas for teaching children with Down syndrome about their bodies, puberty, and sexuality. This book gives parents the confidence to speak comfortably about these sometimes difficult subjects.

In an easy-to-read, non-clinical style, the book covers relevant issues and concerns for children of all ages, such as:

Labeling & explaining private body parts
Identifying & expressing emotions
Respecting personal space
Teaching self-care & hygiene
Understanding norms of privacy
Understanding gender identity
Showing appropriate levels of affection
It also covers later issues that affect teenagers and young adults, including:
Anticipating and understanding puberty
Dealing with periods, bras for girls
Experiencing erections, wet dreams for boys
Relating to the opposite sex
Sharing parental values about sexuality
Explaining sexual relationships
Preventing sexual abuse
Understanding how Down syndrome affects puberty & fertility rates

Each chapter highlights important points with key messages, teaching activities, parental pauses, and anecdotes, all of which prompt readers to stop and consider concepts or values associated with a particular topic. The final chapter covers the special concerns of parents who are now teaching teenaged or adult children about sexuality for the first time. It concludes with extensive appendices containing invaluable teaching materials and illustrations of body parts and functions.

Contents
Introduction;
Getting Started;
Learning About the Body:
Key Information and Ideas for Teaching;
Teaching About Privacy; Touch and Affection;
Teaching Your Child About the Physical Changes of Puberty;
Masturbation;
Social and Emotional Development in Adolescence;
Caring for the Body During Puberty;
Social Skills for Healthy Relationships;
Friendships and Dating;
Committed Partnerships, Marriage, and Parenthood;
Exploitation Prevention;
Sexuality Education in Schools;
You've Postponed 'This 'til Now;
Index.