Short report: Recommendations for education, clinical practice, research, and policy on promoting well-being in autistic youth and adults through a positive focus on sexuality and gender diversity

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. seven authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

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Dewinter, J., Onaiwu, M. G., Massolo, M. L., Caplan, R., Van Beneden, E., Brörmann, N., Crehan, E. T., Croen, L. A., Faja, S., Gassner, D. L., Graham Holmes, L., Hughes, C., Hunter, M., Huysamen, M., Jelonche, P., Lai, M. C., Noens, I., Pukki, H., Stokes, M. A.,..., & van der Miesen, A. I. (2023). Short report: Recommendations for education, clinical practice, research, and policy on promoting well-being in autistic youth and adults through a positive focus on sexuality and gender diversity. Autism, 28(3), 770-779. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231188349

Publication date: 2 Aug 2023 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
21
Publication authors identified as autistic
7 / 21 (33.3%)
  1. Jeroen Dewinter
  2. Morénike Giwa Onaiwu *
  3. Maria L Massolo
  4. Reid Caplan *
  5. Els Van Beneden *
  6. Nikki Brörmann
  7. Eileen T. Crehan
  1. Lisa A. Croen
  2. Susan Faja
  3. Dena L. Gassner *
  4. Laura Graham Holmes
  5. Cat Hughes *
  6. Morrigan Hunter *
  7. Monique Huysamen
  1. Paola Jelonche
  2. Meng-Chuan Lai
  3. Ilse Noens
  4. Heta Pukki *
  5. Mark A. Stokes
  6. John F. Strang
  7. Anna I.R. van der Miesen

Abstract

This short report presents recommendations to promote health and well-being relating to sexuality and gender diversity in autistic individuals. The recommendations were developed based on the latest available scientific knowledge coupled with a community-driven approach. An international group of autistic and non-autistic experts in the fields of autism, sexuality, and gender diversity and autistic advocates worked together to develop the initial recommendations; these recommendations were subsequently checked within the wider community through an online survey. Out of the original 11 recommendations, eight were rated above a consensus threshold. The final recommendations cover three themes: (1) providing education and information on sexuality, relationships, and gender diversity to autistic individuals and their families; (2) improving expertise in and accessibility to healthcare for sexuality, relationships, and gender-related questions, with specific attention to prevention of and support after sexual victimization; and (3) meaningful inclusion of the autism community in future research that addresses well-being related to sexuality, relationships, and gender diversity. The recommendations emphasize the need for additional awareness and offer cues to parents, professionals, and policymakers to promote sexual health and well-being of autistic individuals. Lay Abstract In this article, we propose recommendations on what we can do to promote that autistic people can enjoy their sexuality and gender identity, because that contributes to overall well-being. First, we briefly summarize the existing research on sexuality and gender diversity in autistic individuals. Next, we propose recommendations for how to promote sexual and gender diversity-related health and well-being. Based on what is known about sexuality, gender diversity, and relationships in autistic adolescents and adults, we convened an international group of autistic and non-autistic researchers, advocates, parents, and professionals to develop recommendations to promote sexual and gender health in autistic people. The resulting recommendations were checked through an online survey distributed to autistic people across the world. The online participants endorsed the importance of eight final recommendations related to: 1. Providing education and information on sexuality, relationships, and gender diversity to autistic individuals and their families; 2. Improving expertise in and accessibility to healthcare for sexuality, relationships, and gender-related questions, with specific attention to prevention of and support after sexual victimization; and 3. Meaningfully including the autism community in future research that addresses well-being relating to sexuality, relationships, and gender diversity. These community-driven recommendations aim to promote sexual health and well-being in autistic individuals internationally.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 13:57.

Cited references
48
With a DOI
45
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
3
11 / 48 (22.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
3 / 48 (6.2%)
References with detected author names
47 / 48 (97.9%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
3
Without a stable identifier
3
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
198
From DOI or external metadata
198
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
115 / 198 (58.1%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 83 / 198 (41.9%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
28 / 198 (14.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 28 / 115 (24.3%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 23 / 164 (14.0%).
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