Isabel Bullon
Salamanca University School of Education and Psychology, Spain
Title: Sex was rude, now it's real
Biography
Biography: Isabel Bullon
Abstract
Sex was rude, now it's real: It's a book still in development of which it’s main objective is to help people with special needs to understand sexuality and relationships. The last research found from 2005 tells us that just 3% of people with special needs lived as part of a couple (Emerson 2005). The myth and common idea is that Autistic people are sexless, they don't want contact with others and they don't feel sexual attraction. However, in my professional experience, I’ve seen autistic people feeling sexual desire and emotions that they struggle to understand, which makes them avoid the subject and therefore reduces the possibility of love. This observed need of understanding was the trigger of the creation of this book which is used in a 1:1 session working with the person around four main topics: Personal Space; Anatomy; Sexual Attraction and Relationships and Emotions. The book creates a guideline in how to explain step by step how love and sex happen, whilst giving the facilitator the opportunity to adjust each activity, social story or comic to the person's needs. After three months of practicing, recording and reviewing the activity with an autistic person I have already observed positive changes in behaviors, understanding and anxiety levels related to sexuality. I hypothesize that by the end of the activity not only would his knowledge be increased but his confidence with his own body and emotions would positively change the quality of his life and soon, other autistic people's lives too.