Sexual behavior in adults with autism.

McMillan et al. (1997) mailed a short survey to staff at 30 group homes. They asked about sexual behavior seen in adults with autism.

The survey listed six behaviors: masturbation, touching others, hugging, kissing, sexual talk, and arousal around people. Staff checked yes or no for each resident.

Most adults with autism showed some sexual behavior. Masturbation was the most common.

One in three residents showed person-oriented arousal, like hugging or touching others. Very few talked about sex or kissed.

Ousley et al. (1991) asked high-functioning autistic adults what they knew about sex. Knowledge scores matched peers, but real-life experience was lower. E et al. shift the lens from "what they know" to "what they actually do."

García-López et al. (2016) surveyed parents of teens. Parents rated autistic adolescents far lower on every sexual domain than peers with Down syndrome. The teens looked less active than the adults in E et al. The gap likely comes from age and who is reporting: parents see less, staff see more.

Holmes et al. (2019) found parents mostly just talk to autistic girls about sex. Visual tools and skills teaching are rare. E et al. show the result: adults living in homes still masturbate and seek contact, but with little formal teaching on privacy or consent.

If you work in residential care, expect sexual behavior. Write a clear policy now: where masturbation is okay, how to teach privacy, and what consent looks like. Use the data to justify visual social stories, closed-door rules, and staff training. Don't wait for a problem to occur.