My sexual rights: a tool for professionals to explain sexual rights to people with autism spectrum disorder
Seck, Ngaty; Mayans Umbert, Elena (2022)
2022
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202204255852
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202204255852
Tiivistelmä
This project-oriented thesis is carried out with the collaboration of Autism Foundation Finland. The aim was to create a low-tech visual aid to help the professionals of Autism Foundation Finland to explain basic sexual rights to people with autism. The aid consisted in a booklet containing information about sexuality and sexual rights illustrated by pictograms with short, clear, and simple sentences.
Autism Foundation Finland is the Working Life Partner. The foundation´s origin is a Rehabilitation Project for Young Adults launched in 1992. The first of its kind that targeted people with autism with the objective of facilitating the independent living of young people on the spectrum. Following the meetings and conversations with the Working Life Partner (WLP) and based on the research carried out on the topic of autism spectrum disorder and sexuality, many elements/problems like the deficit of communication, the lack of accessible sexual education and the sexual abuse exposure of the people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) emerged as recurrent.
Hence, with the approval of the WLP, the booklet was produced as an answer to that need for education and as a facilitation guide for the service users to understand their basic sexual rights. After interviewing the sexual counselor of Autism Foundation Finland, and after research on the topic it was decided that the sentences for the book would refer to the right to masturbate and where to do it, physical contact consent, and identifying and reporting abuse. The booklet has been planned, implemented and evaluated from September 2021 to March 2022.
Based on the feedbacks received from the evaluation it can be concluded that the professionals in Autism Foundation Finland will use the booklet. The booklet was stated to be useful, easy to understand, and can be beneficial for the service users.
Autism Foundation Finland is the Working Life Partner. The foundation´s origin is a Rehabilitation Project for Young Adults launched in 1992. The first of its kind that targeted people with autism with the objective of facilitating the independent living of young people on the spectrum. Following the meetings and conversations with the Working Life Partner (WLP) and based on the research carried out on the topic of autism spectrum disorder and sexuality, many elements/problems like the deficit of communication, the lack of accessible sexual education and the sexual abuse exposure of the people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) emerged as recurrent.
Hence, with the approval of the WLP, the booklet was produced as an answer to that need for education and as a facilitation guide for the service users to understand their basic sexual rights. After interviewing the sexual counselor of Autism Foundation Finland, and after research on the topic it was decided that the sentences for the book would refer to the right to masturbate and where to do it, physical contact consent, and identifying and reporting abuse. The booklet has been planned, implemented and evaluated from September 2021 to March 2022.
Based on the feedbacks received from the evaluation it can be concluded that the professionals in Autism Foundation Finland will use the booklet. The booklet was stated to be useful, easy to understand, and can be beneficial for the service users.