News and Knowledge

On Monday, October 15, 2018, OAR hosted its second webinar event on the topic of sexuality. The webinar featured Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., OAR Scientific Council chairman and executive director of the EPIC School (Paramus, N.J.), and Amy Gravino, M.A., president of A.S.C.O.T. Consulting. They provided a wealth of helpful information, including:

• Existing literature on sexuality education for individuals with autism
• Recommendations and strategies for delivery of sexuality education
• Lessons learned from personal experiences
• Suggested readings and other external resources

Watch the Archived Event

Whether you are a registrant who missed the live event or someone who just heard about it, you can now access the archived materials, including the full event video and handouts, directly on our page.

Participants Share Their Feedback

Of the 750 registrants, more than 360 attended the online event. Of the 243 participants who provided feedback:

• 95 percent reported the content as being helpful and relevant to their needs
• 95 percent reported that they were likely to participate in another OAR webinar event
• 95 percent rated the overall webinar session as three or higher on a scale of 1 to 5

Elizabeth G., self-advocate and service coordinator, who attended the webinar noted that, as a transgender millennial woman with Asperger’s diagnosed in mid-high school years, “puberty was a struggle socially and developmentally. Without going into detail, I can relate to a lot of the things mentioned in this webinar. So I would like to thank you for doing a webinar on this topic.”

Emily R., a professor, thanks Gravino for her stories and said, “Amy’s story about being assaulted by her college boyfriend was heartbreaking. […] Thank you for this webinar.”

Another attendee, Kielin G., said “Thank you. This is not a commonly discussed topic and the presentation was very useful.”

Based on this positive feedback, OAR will continue its webinar series in 2019. Newsletter subscribers will receive updates as new events are scheduled. If you have any questions or comments about this event or if you would like to request specific webinar topics, please contact us at programs@researchautism.org or call 703-243-9762.

Interested in More Information About Sexuality Education?

OAR is working on an online sexuality education resource for individuals with autism. The resource will cover critical topics that help readers on the spectrum navigate romantic relationships, understand what consent looks like, examine personal values and boundaries, identify behaviors that promote sexual safety, and more. Sign up to be notified when the resource is released.