Puberty in minimally verbal autistic girls w Puberty is a time of huge change, which may present particular challenges for autistic people. Despite this, little research exists on the experiences of puberty for autistic girls, and even less for those who speak little or no words, and have additional intellectual disability. CRAE researchers studied the experiences of puberty in autistic girls who were minimally verbal with additional intellectual disability. The goal was to identify any concerns prior to the girls’ onset of puberty, and finding out the most effective ways of supporting the girls (and their parents and educators) through this crucial developmental stage. We interviewed ten parents and ten educators about their views and experiences of supporting these girls through puberty. Key findings were: • The girls had a wide range of
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individual experiences and needs – some girls were unfazed by their experiences, whilst others struggled in a range of ways; • It was crucial to promote the dignity and respect of the girls, and a key role of parents and teachers was to be sensitive to subtle changes in the girls’ behaviour and respond accordingly; • Small, gradual steps were felt to be needed to support girls through puberty, as well as individualised support (what may benefit one girl may not benefit another). It will be important for future research in this area to focus on identifying developmentally-sensitive ways to elicit the girls’ voices on their experiences of puberty. To read this study in full, visit: https://bit.ly/2JhbawA
