Autistic children and young people can face particular challenges in their sexual development. For many professionals in health, education, social care and justice, questions around harmful sexual behaviour remain especially complex. Research shows that autistic young people are not more likely than their peers to display such behaviour, yet they are consistently over-represented in referrals, creating uncertainty about how best to respond.
This book brings together research, case studies and professional insight to provide an evidence based framework for practice. It explores the factors that shape sexual development and the circumstances that can lead to harmful behaviour, while emphasising the importance of recognising and supporting positive and healthy sexuality.
Introducing an autism specific socio-ecological model, it guides practitioners through assessment and intervention, the role of psychosexual assessment and the need for tailored, child-centred sex education. The result is a rigorous and practical resource designed to build confidence, clarity and compassion in professional practice.
David Russell has extensive experience specialising in work with children and young people with harmful sexual behaviour and / or who have experienced sexual abuse or exploitation. He currently sits on the NOTA (National Organisation for the Treatment of Abuse) Scotland Executive Committee, supporting professionals responding to sexual harm.
Dr Sophie King-Hill is an Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham's Health Services Management Centre. She is also Head of Equity, Diversity and Belonging for the School of Social Policy and Society. She specialises in sexual behaviours and assessment in children and young people, sibling sexual behaviour and abuse, masculinities and relationships and sex education. Her cross sector work emphasises youth voice, co-design approaches and the translation of research into practice and policy. She is based in Birmingham, England.
Stuart Allardyce is Director of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, leading Stop It Now services in Scotland. He has worked in the child sexual abuse field as a social worker for over 20 years and is chair of NOTA UK and Ireland. He is also co-author of Working with Children and Young People Who Have Displayed Harmful Sexual Behaviour (2018). He is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Clare Allely is a Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Salford and affiliate member of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sweden. She is widely published on autism and criminal justice, acts as an expert witness in criminal courts predominantly in the United Kingdom, and consults for the Irish Prison Service on autism-related cases.
Professor Tony Attwood, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has over 50 years of experience working with autistic individuals. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland. He co-founded Attwood & Garnett Events with Michelle Garnett in 2019.
