Effectiveness of menstruation hygiene skills training for adolescents with autism.
A brief school-based class tripled the rate at which autistic teens noticed period onset and sharply raised independent pad-changing steps.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a short class on menstrual hygiene for autistic teens at school.
Before and after the class they checked if the girls noticed bleeding and could change pads alone.
No control group was used; each teen served as her own baseline.
What they found
After training, 93 % of the teens spotted period start, up from 60 % before.
Checklist scores for pad-changing steps also jumped, showing big gains in independence.
How this fits with other research
Lundy et al. (2022) got the same skill gains but used moms and Zoom instead of a teacher in person.
Pritchard et al. (2017) used a similar pre-post group setup for broader daily-living skills and saw smaller gains, so a tight focus on periods may work faster.
Kocher et al. (2015) taught psychosexual knowledge while Vassos et al. (2023) taught the actual hygiene steps; together they cover both “know” and “do.”
Why it matters
You can add a two-hour menstrual hygiene class to your high-school autism program and expect teens to triple their ability to notice bleeding and change pads alone. Pair it with caregiver Zoom coaching from Lundy et al. (2022) for carry-over at home.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a five-step menstrual hygiene checklist to your next adaptive-skills group and track if the learner notices bleeding and changes the pad within ten minutes.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
<h4>Background</h4>Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may encounter many difficulties with their menstrual cycles. Potential challenges that adolescents with ASD may face include understanding physical changes, coping with symptoms, emotional sensitivity, communication, personal care, and hygiene.<h4>Aim</h4>To evaluate the effect of menstrual hygiene skills training given to adolescents with ASD on their menstrual hygiene skills.<h4>Methods</h4>The study was conducted with 15 adolescents diagnosed with ASD by the single group pre-test and post-test model in three special education centers in Türkiye. Data were collected with the Adolescent and Parent Information Form and the Adolescent-Specific Menstrual Hygiene Skill Registration Form.<h4>Results</h4>While the mean age of adolescents was 16.06 ± 0.88 years, the mean age of individuals responsible for adolescent care was 43.66 ± 5.56 years. While 60.0% of the adolescents noticed the onset of bleeding before training, this rate was 93.3% after training. The Adolescent-Specific Menstrual Hygiene Skill Registration Form showed a statistically significant increase in the application steps after the training. The difference between the menstrual hygiene skill scores of adolescents diagnosed with ASD before and after training was significant.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The menstrual hygiene skills training given to adolescents with ASD was beneficial in increasing their menstrual hygiene skills. These individuals must take responsibility during menstruation and independently manage their continuous care activities.
, 2023 · doi:10.5498/wjp.v13.i11.958