Sex on the Spectrum: Navigating Intimacy With Autism

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 3:00-5:00pm Central

online, synchronous via Zoom

2 CEUs

Learn how to support autistic individuals in enjoying intimacy, working through sexual obstacles, building confidence, 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 the bedroom. This talk will cover how autistic people may approach sex differently from neurotypical people and how sexuality professionals can help them.

Learning outcomes:

• Describe how autistic people may approach sexuality differently
• Discuss ways that autistic people can leverage and enjoy these differences
• Suggest scripts for autistic clients to communicate about consent, boundaries, and preferences
• Offer tips for autistic people to increase their confidence

Bio:

Suzannah Weiss is an AASECT-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. She's also the author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject, which describes her search for sexual empowerment and her vision for a world where everyone gets to be subjects, not just objects, of desire. 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.