Clinicians can, rightfully so, feel cautions to challenge what clients admit as cultural messages. For example, "I grew up in a Catholic home and still view sex as 'dirty' and 'sinful,' and I’m having a hard time enjoying it,” or “My culture values young women, and women over 40 aren’t considered attractive anymore…

The topic of dating and romance can be quite difficult to initiate with parents of adolescent clients, especially those with autism. However, as an occupational therapist (OT), you can help parents create a safe, calm, and judgment-free space for their teens to freely express their desires.

Working with clients on their sexual routines is one of my top 5 ways I fall in love with OT again and again - every time. It reminds me how perfectly situated Occupational Therapy Professionals are to discuss sexuality in our clinical practice. We understand the impact of routines and specifically how occupations are sequenced together to facilitate participation, satisfaction, quality of life, and in some cases a great roll in the hay!

It's no surprise that as sexual beings we all have our own sexual preferences. Our likes, wants, and needs are unique to each of us and shape our sexual and intimate experiences. But what about our dislikes? Or aversions to certain stimuli? What if the enjoyment and pleasure of sex can quickly turn to pain and kill the mood. For some of us, this might be when our partner lightly touches our skin or grasps too firmly. What is this experience like and how can OT play a role in this??? Many of the clients I have work have sensory preferences and high/low thresholds, and this can be even more so for people with autism or sensory regulation difficulties.