Abstract

Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities are sexually abused or assaulted at a rate seven times greater than those without disabilities (Shapiro, 2018). There is a lack of education and prevention programs specifically for this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to explore parental perceptions about the need for sexual violence prevention education, based on their child's disability type, severity, and communication level. A 33-item online survey was completed by parents of children with intellectual disabilities (n=61). The majority of parents valued the social validity of providing sexual violence prevention education. A child's disability type did not impact their parent's perception of the need for education. As the severity of a child's disability increased, parents indicated that their child was lacking adequate knowledge about sexual violence prevention. Children with lower levels of communication fluency did not understand sexual abuse and assault prevention. Common parental themes of fears about their child's involvement in sexual violence prevention education included their child's inability to understand or curriculum content and the manner in which education would be provided. Findings inform care providers about the importance of including all children with disabilities in sexual violence prevention education.

Degree

MS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2019-06-01

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12223

Keywords

sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual violence, intellectual disabilities, prevention

Language

english

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