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Puberty

Though every child will experience puberty, it can be a scary and uncomfortable time. Children experiencing puberty can become concerned and confused about their body as they develop acne and body hair and experience changes in mood and body parts. Talking to your child about puberty before they experience the bodily changes associated with it can help to dispel any shame or confusion about their changing body and help them to feel empowered to make healthy choices. This list of resources provides videos, print resources, webpages, and teaching tools for both parents and youth exploring the ins and outs of puberty.

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  • Your Changing Body: Answers for Boys with Autism

    This resource provides basic information on body changes during puberty for boys.

    Source: TeensHealth

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • Your Changing Body: Answers for Girls with Autism

    This resource provides basic information on body changes during puberty for girls.

    Source: TeensHealth

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • You-ology: A Puberty Guide for Every Body

    This book provides inclusive and body positive information for physical, social, and emotional changes during puberty for all bodies. This book is not sex specific, aiming to educate readers on the body changes everyone is experiencing. The book features a group of diverse characters who are learning about puberty.

    Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • What’s Happening to Tom: a book about puberty for boys and young men with autism and related conditions

    This book follows the character Tom as he goes through puberty and learns about the physical and emotional changes.

    Source: Kate E. Reynolds

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • What’s Happening to Ellie: a book about puberty for girls and young women with autism and related conditions

    This book follows the character Ellie as she goes through puberty and learns about the physical and emotional changes.

    Source: Kate E. Reynolds

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • Puberty and Sexuality

    This page has tips for parents to use while talking with preteens about puberty, safety, and sexuality.

    Source: Navigate Life Texas: For families raising children with disabilities

    Parents
  • Puberty

    Teens can go through modules to learn about puberty and the physical, emotional and reproductive changes.

    Source: OAR (Organization for Autism Research)

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • The Healthy Bodies Toolkit

    These toolkits offer information for parents on navigating puberty for children with autism. There are worksheets and story boards available in the appendix.

    Source: Vanderbuilt Kennedy Center

    Parents
  • The Boys' Guide to Growing Up: Choices and Changes During Puberty

    This book uses plain language, illustrations, and learning activities to cover the physical and emotional changes of puberty.

    Source: Terri Couwenhoven

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • Puberty Videos

    These short animated videos cover a variety of the body, emotional, and social changes during puberty.

    Source: Amaze.org

    Teens/Young Adults Youth
  • The Body

    This resource hub developed in Australia has articles for parents, videos, games, and activities on topics like consent, boundaries, emotions, safety, body changes, etc.

    Source: Planet Puberty

    Parents
  • Navigating Puberty, Sex, and Sexuality

    This toolkit has information and offers strategies on how to support a young person navigate puberty, sex, and sexuality. There are links to a course through VKC that offers interactive modules for a teen/young adult to go through.

    Source: Vanderbuilt Kennedy Center

    Parents