Puberty and Sexuality in Special Education Classes

Today we’re going to tackle a tough topic: Puberty and Sexuality in Special Education Classes. We will look at several real-life scenarios teachers face and how to respond!

However, if you think that topic doesn't apply to your grade levels or student population, think again. (I learned a lot I didn't know in this episode!) My guest, Dr. Rachel Schwartz, helps us to understand that sex ed starts with how we build trust with even our youngest students. All humans are sexual beings, whether they have significant special needs or not. We will talk about:

***How should special ed teachers respond to acts by students?
***How should one get information to teaching staff in your class and school, which might include administration and parents?
***What should actually be taught to children with significant needs?

We will discuss, teaching privacy, context, personal self-care, self-regulation, social skills, public exposure, how to convince parents to teach their kids about these topics, and more!

Dr. Schwartz is a board-certified behavior analyst with the Watson Institute in Pittsburgh. She specializes in sexuality and improving the quality of life for individuals with special needs. She shared MANY resources and links for activities and curriculum (some free) to help special educators with this topic.

Please note that due to the nature of this episode, you might NOT want to listen with children. This topic is considered explicit, but the topics are covered with care and professionalism.

Please go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast for the extensive list of resources and links to the materials that Dr. Schwartz talks about.