Sexual Orientation in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Expect most autistic adults you serve to identify as non-heterosexual—plan lessons and supports that include gay, bi, ace, and other minority orientations.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cohen et al. (2018) ran a big online survey. They asked autistic and non-autistic adults how they label their sexual orientation.
The sample was large, but the exact number is not given. The team compared the two groups side by side.
What they found
About 70% of autistic adults said they were not straight. Only 30% of non-autistic adults said the same.
In plain words, most autistic adults in the survey identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, or another minority orientation.
How this fits with other research
Stevens et al. (2018) asked the same question in a county-wide sample. They also saw higher rates of bisexual and "none-of-the-above" labels among people with autistic traits. The two studies line up well.
Lewis et al. (2021) went deeper. They interviewed autistic sexual-minority adults and found services often ignore their needs. R et al. gave the numbers; Foran gave the voices.
van Timmeren et al. (2016) reviewed earlier work and focused on sexual knowledge and safety, not orientation. Their data warned that autistic adults face more risk; R et al. now show that many of these adults also identify as non-heterosexual.
Why it matters
If you write social-skills goals, run sex-ed groups, or plan community outings, assume that more than half of your autistic clients may be sexual minorities. Use examples that include same-sex partners, asexual choices, and fluid labels. Ask open questions and avoid guessing. This small shift makes lessons relevant and keeps learners engaged.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
UNLABELLED: Clinical impressions suggest a different sexual profile between individuals with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Little is presently known about the demographics of sexual orientation in ASD. Sexual Orientation was surveyed using the Sell Scale of Sexual Orientation in an international online sample of individuals with ASD (N = 309, M = 90, F= 219), aged (M = 32.30 years, SD = 11.93) and this was compared to sexual orientation of typically-developing individuals (N = 310, M = 84, F= 226), aged (M = 29.82 years, SD = 11.85). Findings suggested that sexual orientation was contingent on diagnosis (N = 570, χ2(9) =104.05, P < 0.001, φ = 0.43). In the group with ASD, 69.7% of the sample reported being non-heterosexual, while in the TD group, 30.3% reported being non-heterosexual. The group with ASD reported higher rates of homosexuality, bisexuality and asexuality, but lower rates of heterosexuality. The results support the impression that non-heterosexuality is more prevalent in the autistic population. Increased non-heterosexuality in ASD has important clinical implications to target unique concerns of this population, and suggests a need for specialized sex education programs for autistic populations for increased support and awareness. Autism Res 2018, 11: 133-141. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Research suggests that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report increased homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality, but decreased heterosexuality. It is important to increase awareness about increased non-heterosexuality in ASD among autistic populations, medical professionals and care-takers, so as to provide specialized care, if needed and increase support and inclusion for non-heterosexual autistic individuals.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2018 · doi:10.1002/aur.1892