Challenging stereotypes: sexual functioning of single adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Single high-functioning autistic adults mostly enjoy healthy sexual desire and pleasure, so assess each person instead of assuming asexuality.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent an online survey to single adults with high-functioning autism.
They asked about desire, pleasure, anxiety, and past sexual experiences.
No one had to have a partner to take part; the goal was to test the myth that autistic people are asexual.
What they found
Most single autistic adults said their sex life worked fine.
Men reported higher desire and more positive thoughts than women.
People who had never dated felt more sexual anxiety, but they still reported some positive feelings.
How this fits with other research
Byers et al. (2013) ran a sister survey the same year on autistic adults who did have partners. Both studies show positive sexual well-being, so the good news holds whether you are single or coupled.
Pitchford et al. (2019) focused only on autistic women and found lower interest plus more unwanted sexual events. That darker picture does not clash with our study; it simply warns that females face extra risk even when some pleasure is present.
Bush et al. (2021) looked at autistic women who identify as asexual. Those women reported less desire and behavior, which seems opposite to our findings. The gap disappears once you see that we sampled the general single population while they zeroed in on people who already label themselves as not interested.
Why it matters
Stop assuming clients are asexual because of an autism label. Ask each adult private, respectful questions about desire, safety, and skills. If the client has little dating history, add a brief sex-ed or anxiety-reduction plan. The data say pleasure is possible; our job is to support it while watching for the higher victimization risk that shows up in female-only studies.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the sexual functioning of single adults (61 men, 68 women) with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome living in the community with and without prior relationship experience. Participants completed an on-line questionnaire assessing autism symptoms, psychological functioning, and various aspects of sexual functioning. In general participants reported positive sexual functioning. Participants without prior relationship experience were significantly younger and more likely to be male and identify as heterosexual. They reported significantly higher sexual anxiety, lower sexual arousability, lower dyadic desire, and fewer positive sexual cognitions. The men reported better sexual function than did the women in a number of areas. These results counter negative societal perceptions about the sexuality of high functioning individuals on the autism spectrum.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2013 · doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1813-z