Sexuality in the Autism Spectrum Study (SASS): Reports from Young Adults and Parents.

Hartmann et al. (2019) asked young adults with autism and their parents to fill out a survey. The survey asked about sexual experiences and any unwanted or unsafe events.

The team compared what the adults said with what their parents thought had happened.

The adults reported more sexual activity and more victimization than parents knew about.

Parents often thought their child was not interested in sex or was not at risk.

Byers et al. (2013) found that high-functioning autistic singles felt good about their sex lives. This seems to clash with Kathrin’s finding that parents under-rate sexual activity. The gap is explained by who answered: Sandra asked the adults, while Kathrin compared adult answers to parent guesses.

Delgado-Lobete et al. (2020) extended Kathrin’s work by adding a neurotypical group. They showed parents of autistic adults talk about sex just as often as other parents, but still think their child is less ready.

Bauminger-Zviely et al. (2020) link these hidden risks to real harm: autistic adults have eight times the PTSD rate of typical adults, with females hit hardest.

If you only ask parents, you will miss sexual behavior and victimization. Add direct questions to your client’s program. Use simple visuals and role-play to teach consent, safe dating, and how to report abuse. Schedule private time so the client can speak without the parent present.