Poster #19 - Sexual Health Education for Students with Disabilities: Teachers’ Perspectives

• In Event: Poster Session 16

Abstract

Background
Despite higher rates of sexual victimization and other adverse health outcomes, students in special education often lack access to school-based sexual health education (SHE) (Brown & McCann, 2019). There are currently no evidence-based sexual health curricula specifically for students with disabilities (SWD) and limited understanding of approaches to address this considerable health inequity. This study assessed teacher perceptions of need, barriers, facilitators, and willingness to implement sexual health education for SWD.

Method
Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach and an academic and community partnership, qualitative semi-structured interviews (n=7), focus groups (n=19), and a survey (n=43) were conducted with health and special education teachers across a Midwestern school district. Interview transcripts were coded using the qualitative data analysis and research software Atlas.ti, and thematic analysis was employed with the reduction of data into themes.

Results
Teachers described the need for SWD to receive school-based SHE as critical and vital for students' development, especially in addressing healthy boundaries, consent, and sexual victimization. Special education teachers expressed interest and willingness to teach developmentally appropriate, evidence-based SHE to their SWD, particularly with provided training and support from staff (e.g., health education teachers, social workers, nurses) and administration. Both special education and health education teachers believe it is feasible to deliver SHE to SWD, with the modifiable curriculum and materials, the flexibility of various classroom settings, teaching formats, and the time needed to teach depending on students' needs. Survey data supported these findings and indicated a moderately high level of openness (M=2.89) and low level of resistance (M=1.52) among teachers in using new materials for SWD.
Special education teachers urge utilizing the proactive approach - providing SHE as a prevention rather than a response to a negative incident. Participants commonly identified a lack of training and professional development as a barrier to teaching SHE. The need for training was expressed to a greater extent in special education teachers when compared to health education teachers. Additionally, there was a lack of teachers’ awareness of policy issues and procedures, despite state-level codes, standards, and mandates being an important component in SHE delivery. Finally, teachers experienced other barriers to teaching SHE to SWD, including parents’ resistance, the stigma around SHE, and the infantilization of children with disabilities, as well as facilitators such as collaboration.

Conclusions
Further understanding health and special education teacher perceptions informs strategies and approaches to developing and pilot testing sexual health education specifically for SWD, the next phase of this study. Disseminating findings to school administrators, teachers, and families of SWD will increase buy-in for implementation and testing for replication of this study’s curriculum intervention.

Authors

• Ivanka Simic Stanojevic, Indiana University - Bloomington
  Presenting Author

• Alison Rachel Greene, Indiana University

• Catherine M. Sherwood-Laughlin, Indiana University

• Angela Chow, Indiana University - Bloomington

• Dechen Sangmo, Indiana University

• MIka Baugh

• Jordyn Alessandria Galyan, Indiana University

• Lisa M. Greathouse, IU Health

• Natalie Myers, Indiana University