VARTA: Sex education for children/persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities(IDD) and neurodiversity.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
Our aim is to create online and offline platforms to deliver evidence based practices to develop body literacy and better manage sexual issues in children/persons with IDD. And also, to educate their parents on how to impart sex education, and provide them consultation by experts thus trying to solve problems encountered in daily life scenarios.
VISION
To start a dialogue, dialogue not only in the care-giving community, but also in the research community, so that there is an increase in the research conducted on sexuality and sexual issues for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neuro-diversity.
What is VARTA ? : A short introduction of our online and offline platforms
Challenges and the way ahead…
Behavioural changes during puberty
Difficulties encountered by parents
- Their child begins to do sexual activity in public, doesn’t know the concept of private space.
- Discomfort in case of Mothers (boys can excessively hug, touch and might disturb dress in public).
- Increase in care-giving stress, sleep disturbances.
- There can be difficulties in managing the situation in joint families.
- Monitoring of activities on internet (if the child uses social media).
- School authorities not openly talking about the sexual problems.
- Sex Education websites/material available (websites/material from other countries) not much relevant to the problems they encounter.
- Even after obtaining knowledge it is important to know how to convey the concepts to the children or basically how to make them understand…!?!
What can be done?
What can be done?
- Starting from basics: closing the bathroom door while in toilet, closing door while changing clothes
- Making them independent to the maximum extent in toilet training
- Engaging in different activities to channelize their energy and stop the energy from moving towards sexual activities beyond limits
- Teaching children the concept of private space, private time and private activities
- Teaching on how to maintain hygiene of the private parts
- Acknowledging their sexual needs, developing a comprehensive sex education course rather than abstinence based
- Teaching about prevention from sexual abuse