Survey of sex education coursework in special education programs

Much has been written about the need to prepare handicapped individuals to deal with their sexuality. If they are to be taught sex edu-cation effectively, their teachers must receive adequate instruction in this crucial curric-ulum area. A survey was sent to the chair-persons of 185 special education teacher-training programs to determine the amount and type of coursework in sex education that their students received during their special education teacher preparation. Of the 146 programs that responded, 61 % indicated that their students received some preparation in sex education. Further analysis indicates that the majority of the coursework was either elective options or a few hours of coverage within existing courses. The need for training programs to assist teachers in integrating sex education into their coursework is stressed. Much activity in special education today is focused on the normalization of the exceptional individual. Schools are concerned with mainstreaming and imple-menting the &dquo;least restrictive environment&dquo; clause of P.L. 94-142; many resi-dential facilities are involved with deinstitutionalization and are moving their residents into community living and work situations. As this occurs the handi-capped child or adult needs guidance to help achieve the best living experience and sexual fulfillment in society. In the past, handicapped individuals have often not been permitted to assume responsibility for their own sexual growth (Perske, 1974), and their sexuality has been either ignored, denied, or sub-verted (Schmid, Moneypenny, & Johnston, 1977). Certainly, the handicapped must have a practical knowledge of their own sexuality and the responsibilities that go with it (Alcorn, 1974)