Sex on the Spectrum: Navigating Relationships, Dating, and Sexuality With Autism (4 CE Hours, 2024)

Course Description:

Learn how to support autistic individuals in enjoying sex and dating, working through sexual obstacles, resolving conflicts with partners, and more. Autistic people’s sensory sensitivities, different ways of processing social and emotional information, cognitive rigidity, and passionate interests may present challenges but can also be leveraged as assets in these areas. This course will cover how autistic people may approach sex and relationships differently from neurotypical people and what type of guidance can help them.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how autistic people may approach sex and relationships differently
• Discuss ways that autistic people can leverage and enjoy these differences
• Discuss the information that is important to educate autistic clients about sex and relationships
• Discuss solutions for common conflicts autistic people experience with their partners

Activity Schedule:

(30 minutes): introduction to autism and neurodiversity

(30 minutes): How autistic traits can show up in the bedroom

(15 minutes): Communicating in the bedroom as/with an autistic person

(15 minutes): Kink as a tool to enhance sex for autistic people

(15 minutes): Autism and sexual trauma 

(30 minutes): Meeting partners as an autistic person

(30 minutes): Working through common conflicts between autistic people and their partners

(30 minutes): Group activity: Discuss sample cases and propose interventions

(30 minutes): Participant Q&A

Presenter Bio:

Suzannah Weiss is a multi-certified sex educator, sex/love coach, sexual assault counselor, and sex/relationship writer with work published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. Diagnosed with autism at age 31, she works with people on the autism spectrum to bring their authentic selves to their relationships and sex lives.