ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Sex education in adolescents with ASD: a qualitative study on the role of parents in the Italian context
Provisionally accepted
Rosaria Ferrara1
Pasquale Ricci2Alessia Succu3Arianna Calo3Monica Calderaro4
Giorgia Elisa Cafiero1Leonardo Iovino5*Lidia Ricci6- 1Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- 2Link Campus University, Rome, Italy
- 3OISMA, Rome, Italy
- 4Universita degli studi Internazionali di Roma, Rome, Italy
- 5Universita degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope, Naples, Italy
- 6Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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Abstract Background Sex education for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is often overlooked in traditional educational programmes, despite scientific evidence highlighting the need for a specific personalised approch. Family involment is essential, but Italian literature on the role of caregivers in this area is still limited. Materials and Methods This qualitative study adapted the protocol developed by Mackin et al. (2016) to the Italian context. A focus group was conducted with parents of adolescents with ASD (n=9) and an online questionnaire was administered (n=12). The questions explored previous experiences, perceptions of sex education, content considered a priority, and preferred methods of intervention. Results The thematic analysis highlighted two macro areas: 1) the role of parents in sex education, ranging from direct supervision to delegation to professionals; 2) the vulnerability of children with ASD, linked to communication difficulties, exposure to inappropriate content and lack of experiential education. Parents expressed a strong need for clear, experiential and culturally sensitive educational tools. Conclusions The study highlights the need to develop structured and inclusive sex education programmes for adolescents with ASD, actively involving caregivers. A multidimensional and collaborative approach is essential, capable of integrating emotional, physical and regulatory aspects. The results offer a significant contribution to bridging the gap in Italy on this issue and to guiding future educational and policy interventions.
Keywords: adolescent ASD, asperger, autism, sex health, Sexual education
Received: 29 Sep 2025; Accepted: 19 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ferrara, Ricci, Succu, Calo, Calderaro, Cafiero, Iovino and Ricci. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Leonardo Iovino
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