Helping tweens and teens with autism master puberty health and hygiene

July 30, 2017

These Autism Treatment Network clinicians have developed two classes – one for boys and one for girls – built on the Autism Speaks ATN/AIR-P puberty tool kit

By Kelly McKinnon-Bermingham, director of behavior intervention at the University of California-Irvine’s Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, in Santa Ana, California, and Nick Riley and Nick Tellier, graduate students in the center’s Families and Schools Together program. UC-Irvine’s center is one of 13 sites in the新利luck娱乐在线自闭症说话Autism Treatment Network。

Our families enthusiastically welcomed the recently publishedATN/AIR-P Puberty and Adolescence Resource。自闭症的本指南使父母和青少年成为可能的自闭症治疗网络，以其自闭症干预研究网络的联邦资助角色。新利luck娱乐在线（单击标题链接以了解更多信息并下载。）

该工具套件由ATN专家和家长志愿者创建，充满了技巧，脚本和视觉效果，以帮助父母解释青春期的身体变化以及青春期向青少年和青少年在自闭症谱系上的情感和社会过渡。例如，它指导他们如何提早从教学隐私，对适当的卫生建模以及练习青少年需要掌握的技能和惯例。

例如，这里是一个示例脚本，用于启动正在进行的对话：

And here is a visual schedule for introducing the importance of regular showering:

同时，我们的家人要求更多。他们想要面对面的指导，并有机会就如何与自闭症的孩子交谈和教青春期的孩子进行后续问题。

许多特殊自闭症课程中的许多儿童都不包括在学校的标准青春期演讲中。否则它们包括在内，但这些信息并不适合其独特的学习方式。

We developed “Just for Girls” and a “Just for Boys” hygiene and puberty classes using the ATN/AIR-P tool kit as a guide.

Each program involved four weekly classes on the following topics:

Just for Boys

第1周：什么是青春期？（并注意到您体内的变化）

第2周：如何处理男孩独有的身体变化

Week 3: Hygiene schedules and healthy living

Week 4: Shaving, grooming and putting it all together

Just for Girls

第1周：什么是青春期？（并注意到您体内的变化）

Week 2: What to do with body changes unique to a girl

Week 3: Hygiene schedules and healthy living

第4周：照顾您的月经周期并将其放在一起

Each session included a small group of children and parents, and we used a multi-sensory approach with written, video and hands-on lessons.

For instance, for each week’s topic, we created an illustrated handout. Using this as our guide, we discussed the science behind the topic, providing written definitions and descriptions, such “What is puberty?”

We supplemented this written information with short videos. And we practiced some of the skills, such as washing our faces, putting on deodorant, brushing our teeth, shaving, and using and disposing a maxi pad.

We gave each student a hygiene kit. Hygiene kits for boys included a comb, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, face soap, shaving cream and razor. Hygiene kits for girls included a comb, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, face soap, shaving cream and razor and maxi pads.

We invited parents (dads in the boys class and moms in the girls class) to participate and share their personal experiences and expectations.

Each week’s homework consisted of a hygiene and puberty checklist, which the parent and child handed in completed the following week.

当课程结束时，我们给父母和孩子一个最后的作业页面，总结了他们所练习的技能，以及补充的视觉时间表，我们鼓励他们在家里的适当位置发布。我们还向学生及其父母展示了如何将提醒添加到iPad日历和手机中。

Based on feedback, we think the program was a success.

“I love this class!” one of our students wrote. “I like meeting the girls like me!”

And from a parent: “This particular class was timely for us as Allison’s public school will approach this subject in a few weeks, but I am sure there approach will be much more ‘clinical” and not as hands on for what she needs.”

We look forward to offering these classes again soon and as well as share our curriculum with other autism centers in the months and years ahead.