Common worries & beliefs

Parents’ common worries and beliefs

There are lots of different worries and beliefs held by parents which can make it hard to think about and tackle these issues – and even stop parents from being able to address these topics with their children.

Many are shared.

The most common worries or beliefs held by many parents include:

that children with disabilities don’t have the same (physical, emotional, sexual) feelings, responses and development as other children,
that young people with disabilities are asexual, or physically unable to be sexual.
that talking about bodies, sexuality or relationships will give children and young people ideas they wouldn’t have had otherwise

that if you do talk about bodies, sexuality, relationships it will only cause problems because children don’t have the self-control or ability to control or manage these feelings,
that the children and young people won’t understand what is being discussed so there is no use tackling it.
That even if children and young people have an adult body, if they have a young intellectual age they won’t have the same experiences as others with an adult body.
That not talking about these topics is a way of sheltering their child from the world of sex.
That children aren’t interested.