AN EXPLORATION OF SEXUALITY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND THEIR ADOLESCENT CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Abstract

Parents are the primary source of sexuality education for their adolescent children on the autism spectrum. However, parents’ sexuality communication with their children are lacking due to their fears and uncertainties. Consequently, children’s lack of sexuality knowledge may result in them becoming victims of abuse or be falsely accused of inappropriate behaviours. Hence, this study aimed to explore Malaysian parents’ experiences andchallenges in sexuality communication with their autistic children. To achieve the objectives of this study, six parents of autistic adolescents who were recruited via purposive sampling from Perakparticipated in an interview. The collected data was analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis. The study found that parents covered protective and prohibitive sexuality topics, which were presented using visual aids and teachable moments. Although the parents did not encounter any challenges in their sexuality communications as they had not initiated conversations on complex sexuality topics,their autistic adolescents’ lack of understanding and two-way communication created challenges in parent-child sexuality communication. This study adds to the body of literature on parent-child sexuality communication, especially Malaysian parents’ communications. Findings on parents’ challenges and capabilities, or lack thereof, provides valuable information to tailor interventions to increase parents’ self-efficacy and frequency in sexuality communication.