The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

According to the National Sexuality Education Standards (2011), 93% of parents of secondary students believe it is very important to have sexual education as part of the school curriculum. Yet, individuals with disabilities are often excluded from the puberty talk in elementary school and health classes in secondary education due to the adults in their lives believe either they won’t understand the concepts or don’t need to know the facts. Therefore, understanding how one’s body changes during puberty goes misunderstood. As a result, many times the problem of individuals masturbating in public is related to not being educated on where a private place is compared to public places. Then they have an urge to touch themselves, find out it's relaxing, and calms them. One then wants to masturbate in public places. The fact is that masturbation is normal for all people. It is only a problem when it is done in public, interferes with daily responsibilities, or an individual is unable to reach an orgasm. All individuals have the right to instruction regarding sexuality, regardless of their level of functioning. Therefore, it imperative to teach where and when it is appropriate to masturbate.

Will learn taking data about the antecedents to masturbation will lead to many different strategies.

There are other reasons individuals masturbate in public. Some of the reasons include: a) lack of structured routines; b) seek attention; c) work is too difficult or easy; d) too much waiting time between subjects; e) not receiving enough sensory breaks for tactile stimulation; or f) lack of a plan for privacy time at home. Sometimes the action should be looked at as a behavior. What is the function of masturbating in a public place? In all situations, a functional behavior assessment (FBA) should be implemented to find out the underlying cause of the problem and to make a plan to teach an alternative behavior to support individuals.

Will learn strategies to teach individuals to only masturbate in their bedrooms with the door closed.

Teaching private and public places is an abstract concept; the aim is to make it concrete (Davies, K. & Dubie, D., 2012).

• One lesson: Define and explain private and public places by making a list in two columns. Know the only private place will be in the bedroom with the door closed; all other places are public (e.g., school, bus, workout club, job, social media, cell phone apps). 
• Second lesson: Add an image (visual support) to the individual's schedule to show when private time will occur (at home). 
• Third lesson: When individual has their hands in their pants; then interrupt and redirect to their schedule to show when can masturbate. Plus, redirect individual to an activity (with the same function as discovered from FBA) to replace the public masturbation. 
• Fourth lesson: Add social narratives and five point scales to guide individuals to understand the importance to learning about public versus private spaces. 

Teaching individuals to only masturbate in private should be repeatedly taught, practiced, and reinforced.