Private

Music Therapy social skills / behavior video & song for special needs individuals.
Goal: Client will refrain from masturbating when in public and when around others.
Domains: Social, Behavior

Every human goes through puberty, yes, even those with special needs. Learning sexual norms and expectations is difficult enough for neurotypical teens, so it should be of no surprise that individuals with autism (who struggle to comprehend societal norms) can often be confused about what is appropriate concerning sexuality.

In my previous post, I wrote about a young man with autism who was making a female peer uncomfortable because he was Staring at her chest. This post and project continue with that same young man, but address his subsequent behavior – touching himself (over the pants) while staring at this female peer.

The client’s parents wanted their son to understand that masturbation was normal – not a behavior he should be ashamed of or feel bad about. They just needed him to know in what places and in what conditions it was appropriate – in order to avoid getting in trouble at school, work, or in the community. His parents and I agreed that introducing any new, unfamiliar vocabulary would lead to more confusion rather than clarity. So, the words 1. masturbation 2. sex 3. erection, and 4. penis are not song lyrics. The end result makes the words a little cryptic, but also more inclusive as the lyrics can additionally be meaningful to female students.

Touching yourself is normal
But only do it at home
Touching yourself is private
That means that you do it alone

Verse #1 explains when, where, and why it’s okay to touch yourself.

All by yourself
No one around
In your bedroom at home
There it’s okay
To touch yourself
Because you are all alone

Verse #2 warns where it’s not okay to touch yourself and what to do… wait.

Outside your room
Outside your house
Out among all the world
There you must wait
To touch yourself
Until you are back at home

Comprehension can be tested after the song or video with included printable visuals: 12 flashcards and 2 answer templates. Whenever possible I created flashcards presenting opposites such as “touching yourself inside your home” vs. “touching yourself outside your home”. Some practice and discussion may be required for your student to make connections not explicitly stated in the song lyrics. For example, “touching yourself at school” and “touching yourself at work” are both alternate forms of “touching yourself outside your home”.

Download includes:

• 1 video [mp4 video files]
• 2 songs [mp3 audio files]
  • Private
  • Private (instrumental)
• lyrics [PDF]
• lyrics & chords [PDF]
• 12 flashcards [PDF]
• 2 answer templates [PDF]

DOWNLOAD PAGE

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