Autism and Consent
April is Autism Acceptance Month!
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In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, we want to highlight a presentation given by Jess Selove, a former intern at SexEdVA, titled “Autism and Consent.” Consent is an important part of sexual health education that not only applies to situations involving sex, but also every day activities and interactions. It is important that everyone understands and respects their own and each other’s boundaries. While this may seem intuitive for some, communicating, understanding, and respecting boundaries can be difficult for youth with autism as many of these actions rely upon the ability to interpret social cues, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
In her presentation, Jess highlights the importance of consent education that is inclusive and accessible to everyone. She dives into current consent education, deficits in consent teachings, autism and risk factors for sexual violence and assault, as well as social media messaging and consent culture.
[v] “Autism and Consent” Presentation Recording
[t] “Autism and Consent” Slides
[t] Transcript of “Autism and Consent”
[t] Presentation References
Understanding and practicing consent and boundaries is important for any child’s emotional well-being. Boundaries keep us, and those around us, safe. For more resources for teaching consent to children with IDD, check out the resources linked below:
[t] Consent Social Story
[v] Consent and Communication
[t] PEATC Consent One-Pager
[l] Tips for Teaching Consent at All Ages
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Youth HIV and AIDs Awareness Day
Please reach out to dshn@jmu.edu to share resources that would be helpful for folks in our network, or for more resources on any specific topic.
April 10 is National Youth HIV and AIDs Awareness Day! Did you know...?
- In the United States, 21% of new HIV diagnoses in 2019 were among people ages 13-24.
- Currently, only around 9% of U.S. high school students have ever been tested for HIV.
- Almost half of the young people with HIV do not know they have it.
- HIV can have no symptoms, but typically it manifests as flu-like symptoms around 2-4 weeks after infection. (Note: just having these symptoms does not mean you have HIV)
So how do you test for HIV? There are a few different tests that check for HIV.
- Antibody Test: looks for antibodies in blood/oral fluids - this test can be done at home and is the only at-home test approved by the FDA
- Antigen/Antibody Test: looks for HIV antibodies and antigens in the blood. It can be done by directly drawing blood from a vein but also from a finger prick. This test is done in a doctors office and sent to a lab.
- Nucleic Acid Test (NAT): looks for the actual virus in blood. A healthcare provider must conduct this test. They draw the blood and send it to the lab for testing. This test can detect HIV sooner than other types of tests.
What can you do?
- Encourage young people to get tested! There are testing sites all throughout the United States. Looking for a testing site? Check out this resource for locating testing sites: [w] HIV Testing Site Locator
- Emphasize safe-sex practices! Condoms prevent pregnancy, but they can also help prevent the transmission of STIs like HIV. For more information about condom usage, check out this resource on different types of condoms and how to use them: [w] Condoms and Usage
- Remove the stigma! STIs are very common. Over half the U.S. population will have an STI in their lifetime.
- Remember, there is a treatment! Like other STIs, there are treatments for HIV. While HIV cannot be "cured," with the right medication, HIV can become undetectable and untransmittable. For more information on HIV treatment, check out this resource: HIV Treatment
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YAB Connection
 
The Importance of Finding Autistic Community
By: Spark Doyle, YAB member
Finding community with their Autistic peers is incredibly important for Autistic people, especially children. Research has suggested that rather than a communication deficit, autistic people have a different communication style than neurotypical (NT) people do. But when misunderstandings or miscommunications happen, the fault is often placed on the Autistic child. This can harm self esteem, confidence, and can interfere with social development. Autistic children should have opportunities to be around fellow Autistic children, where they can play and talk in an environment with little structure.
Before I was diagnosed, I was heavily bullied, both by my peers, and my own family. I would say something, and everyone would laugh, and I never knew what the joke was (it was me). Eventually, I just didn’t try to talk to my peers. After I was diagnosed, I wasn’t told I was Autistic for years, and when I finally found out, I was told that the reason was so I “didn’t start acting Autistic” or “use it as an excuse”. Even with the diagnosis, the ill treatment had continued. I was forbidden from being around other Autistic kids, in fear that I would “pick up behaviors” from them. I was abused into trying to hide all of my autistic traits, at the severe cost of my mental health. In college I escaped from that, and started meeting other autistic people. It was mind-blowing to be able to say something in my blunt and direct communication style, and for it to not be misconstrued. My speech was no longer an escape room puzzle, with the other person trying to trap me in my words or find some hidden meaning. It was so freeing. I now refuse to hide my Autistic traits, or to try to alter my communication style. I’m proud of who I am, and I know now that my brain is structured differently. I’m not a broken neurotypical, I’m an Autistic adult, and I communicate the way I’m built to.
I found community online, for the most part. I started following pages run by other Autistic people, and was able to connect through our similar experiences. In these pages, I can express myself and find support from people who know what I’m going through. I can post something as vague as “Wet Socks” with a vomit emoji🤮, and the comments will be full of people knowing exactly what I’m feeling. A lot of us are trying to heal from our childhoods, and learn how to stim* and communicate confidently. I wasn’t allowed to stim growing up, and was punished heavily for it. In one of my groups someone talked about letting themselves self-regulate, and I decided to give myself permission. I tried letting myself flap my hands, and found that it too was communication. Within a week, I had distinct flaps that could convey if I was scared, upset, excited, happy, nervous, hungry, tired, etc. I had an amazing boss at the time who was also Autistic, and she picked up on this even earlier than I did. I came to her office one morning shaking my hands in front of my chest and she immediately knew that I was incredibly excited about something. I learned that part of my communication was these stims, that this is my body language. Not the type of body language used by NTs, such as where their feet point or what their facial expression is. In finding community, I found myself.
Here are a few links to groups for information and resources for Autistic youth:
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Adagio House
The Arc
For a resource list and to learn more about intersections of Autism and LGBTQ+, see:
Overlapping Identities: Autism and Queerness
* stim: "self-stimulation," repetitive motor movements, use of object, speech patterns.
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