Evaluation of Sexual and Socio-Emotional Well-Being in Persons Affected by ASD: Are We Ready?

The evaluation of sexual functioning in ASD people results to be fundamental for several reasons. First, it is well known that this population has a greater risk to develop sexual dysfunctions; second, due to the ASD-intrinsic characteristics, which do not permit to completely understand other people’s intentions, the risk to be exposed to sexual abuse is high. On the other hand, the lack of sexual education for these persons, together with the difficulty to have partnered sexual intercourse, increases the risk of being unable to stop in some circumstances sexual excitement towards an unknown person, resulting so in the possible encounter with the criminal justice system. Another problem is related to the absence of validated tools for the measurement of sexual functioning in ASD people. The absence of psychometric tools brings to the clinician the problem with the diagnosis and with the consequent treatment. An effort should be made in the next future to overcome these gaps and to protect ASD people from all the above-mentioned risks.