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The Impact Of Communication Deficits On Puberty And Sexual Development In Adolescents On The Autism Spectrum, Ashton Wolfe

Theses and Dissertations

Transitioning into a sexually mature adult is a challenging time for both an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and his or her family. Sexual development begets challenges due to the demands it places on the social and communication skills needed to explore developmental changes that are occurring physically, emotionally and hormonally. A diagnosis of ASD is largely established by quantifying impediments in social and communication skills through observation. With deficits in these skills, one can assume that social and communication difficulties can create obstacles in the sexual development of affected individuals. Our study used quantitative and qualitative measures to …