Practice Issues in Sexuality and Learning Disabilities

This aims to be a practical guide for all those who work in services for people with learning disabilities. It is an exploration of the sexual behaviour of people with learning disabilities, and offers practical ideas on how society can help and, at the same time, respect their sexual identity.

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This aims to be a practical guide for all those who work in services for people with learning disabilities. It will challenge service providers to re-evaluate the implicit and explicit standards which operate in relation to sexuality and sexual expression. The editor has done significant work on aspects of sexuality and learning disabilities, and for this book, she has assembled contributions from authors in Britain, Canada and the USA. Drawing upon professional expertise from a broad range of backgrounds - social work, education, psychology, psychotherapy, medicine - the contributors tackle the practical issues and dilemmas which confront all those who work with people with learning disabilities. The contributions range from a description of the development of a statutory agency's policy document on sexuality, to a detailed case example of sensitive work done with pregnant women with severe learning disabilities; and from a chapter on HIV/AIDS and safer sex counselling, to a discussion of the legal position in Britain with regard to sexuality and learning disabilities.