Survey of Sex Education Coursework in Special Education Programs

Abstract

Much has been written about the need to prepare handicapped individuals to deal with their sexuality. If they are to be taught sex education effectively, their teachers must receive adequate instruction in this crucial curriculum 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.

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