Discussing sexual development, behaviors, personal space boundaries or hygiene and self-care during puberty with a child is difficult enough for any parent, but possibly even more perplexing for a parent of a child with developmental disabilities on the autism spectrum. A new sexuality workshop for parents of special needs children, created and presented by Michelle Brill, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences at Rutgers University Cooperative Extension was recently held for parents at Deron School in Union, NJ to assist them in handling these sensitive issues… “When you’re dealing with a child where repetition and routine mean everything, it’s important you teach appropriate adult boundaries and specific behaviors early in life in order to avoid the difficulties of having to re-teach or substitute new behaviors later on,” said Ms. Brill, “This can be as simple as setting rules about closing a bathroom door to not allowing the child to hug or touch people they meet.”