{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Refrigerator Moms","title":"What Nobody Tells You About Autism and Puberty","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1870,"description":"Puberty is hard enough without autism in the mix, and almost nobody talks about it honestly. Julianna and Kelley tackle the cringy, necessary conversations that come with an autistic teen's changing body, from hygiene and masturbation to consent, comorbidities, and the difficult question of permanent birth control. Grounded in their own family experience and the Refrigerator Moms research paper on the topic, this is the second in a three part series on autistic teens.\nKey takeaways:\nAutistic teens show higher rates of gender dysphoria and reduced sexual awareness compared to peers\nThe Circles of Intimacy tool, often introduced through ABA, gives kids a visual for who can see or touch their body\nPrivacy and redirection, not shame, are the right response to masturbation\nHygiene struggles are not a personal autonomy issue and need consistent, team wide messaging\nPuberty is a common trigger for new or shifting comorbidities like anxiety, depression, and OCD\nPermanent birth control is a real conversation for some families and deserves years of lead up, not a snap decision\nSex ed adapted to a child's functional level belongs in the IEP\nZones of regulation help teens name feelings that get more abstract during adolescence\nPornography and unrealistic expectations need direct, ongoing discussion, not silence\n\nResources Mentioned in This Episode\nHBO, The Pitt: Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11\nA medical drama referenced for a storyline involving a character's sister and a UTI tied to sexual activity, used as an example of how autistic people's sexuality gets overlooked in fiction\nZones of Regulation: https://zonesofregulation.com/\nA framework for naming and communicating emotions, described as useful for adolescents as feelings become more abstract\nSex Ed Rescue: sexedrescue.com/puberty-for-autistic-kids\nA hub of articles from sexual health nurse Cath Hakanson on autism and puberty, with guides for girls, boys, and periods. Offers explicit, concrete language and sensory-aware...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/HulBGQUSL2z8d_6F6RH17faDl04BfOUOawVExctAmvs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83OWUz/Yjk2Nzk5MWE4NTRh/Y2FkMDcxZGU0MmU4/NDkwNS5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}