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Sexual Health Education

For Middle and High Schoolers with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

Developed by teachers, parents and experts in the field of education, this ground-breaking curriculum teaches the building blocks of self-determination, self-care, consent, boundaries and sexual safety. Empower your kids with the tools and knowledge to take control of their sexual health and safety.

Student Friendly.
Teacher Ready.

Eight semesters of 45-minute easy to understand lessons and a robust library of over 100 supplemental activities.

Designed Around the
Core National Standards
for Sexuality Education

Covers the essential, core content for sexuality education

Built-ln Targeted
Student Assessments

Measure and track the growth and learning of any student, any class and an entire course

A TRULY COMPREHENSIVE
SEXUAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM

Our goal: to empower people with intellectual disabilities and autism with the tools and skills to develop into healthy and safe adults capable of engaging in healthy and safe relationships, including romantic and sexual relationships.

“We believe all young adults deserve to feel empowered, confident and prepared to navigate the ins and outs of growing up.”

— Maggie Rice, Director
Whole Children

Who are we?

In 2004, a group of families started Whole Children: a social/recreation center that welcomes families and students of all abilities, philosophies, and cultures. Founded on the concept of community, Whole Children was a place where friendships were built – a place where relationships were real for individuals who had historically been seen as incapable of having relationships, or worse, as perpetual children.

In 2008, we saw that the children were beginning to experience puberty. We searched for assistance in guiding the children through the complexity of becoming adults. We found neither experts nor curriculum materials that addressed this unique population. It was quickly apparent that the traditional curriculum and approach to sexuality education was too narrow, focused on only the biology and mechanics of sexuality, and was introduced too late in the process. The building-blocks of understanding self-determination, consent, choice, and safety were rarely included.

At the same time, we began to see the magnitude of the risk, the difficulty of not understanding and not educating all individuals as full, complete social beings, regardless of their past experiences, ability, or disability. We understood that all individuals, including people with  intellectual disabilities and autism have an inherent right as human beings to experience and exercise choice regarding their own bodies and meaningful relationships with others, casual or intimate.

We began creating our own materials, breaking down each concept into smaller and smaller components, looking at the many different learning styles and challenges of individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. This process generated an enormous body of work that we used in different ways, with individuals of different ages, experiences and abilities, and in different settings. Over almost 10 years, we refined our approaches and collected anecdotal evidence of the success of our curriculum and our approach.

In 2018, we partnered with the graduate school at Mt. Holyoke College in a rigorous process to vet our materials and our curriculum as evidence-based and to ensure it met the standards of quality. We piloted the curriculum with a diverse group of schools and refined the content around clear, measurable, objectives and transition goals.

Although we created content for four years of education, the modular design of the curriculum allows for maximum flexibility. The materials can be adapted to any setting: from personal use at home with a family member, use with a community group, a classroom setting, or a residential program.

Our program was developed over years of seeing what works. May it work for you too.