“Sex, libido, and autism”
Is there any way to lower a 24 yr old male's libido who has autism and doesn’t understand a relationship, but has sexual desires?
Male | 24 years old
Conditions: Autistic
3 Answers
This answer is for information purposes, but is not treatment.
Sex and relationships can be a very complex topic of some people with autism. Other folks with ASD date, marry, and have sexual partners with success. Depending on the person's functional level, learning ways to seek out and have consensual sexual partners may or may not be practical.
People with ASD who have very intense social impacts may find this to be extremely difficult to achieve. Almost everyone engages in some kind of sexual behavior after they go through puberty. If finding a consensual sexual partner isn't practical, then helping the person understand that masturbation behaviors need to be in a private and safe location is usually the preferred treatment approach.
For folks with ASD who likely have the core abilities to date and engage in consensual sex, but lack the current skills, then a young adult social skills group targeted to these area can be huge help. Some autism providers specialize in this area of teaching dating and sex for young adults. Even so, it is often a huge challenge for people with autism to make connections with people to a level where they feel comfortable discussing sex and negotiating sexual consent and contact. Research by Dr. Isabelle Henault has focused on this area of social functioning for young adults. She has written a book titled "Asperger's Syndrome and Sexuality" to help therapists support folks with ASD to learn about this area of life.
Lastly, while not considered very appropriate any more, there are some medications that reduce libido. Discussions with a medical professional and consent from the patient, where appropriate, would be needed to access this option.
Sex and relationships can be a very complex topic of some people with autism. Other folks with ASD date, marry, and have sexual partners with success. Depending on the person's functional level, learning ways to seek out and have consensual sexual partners may or may not be practical.
People with ASD who have very intense social impacts may find this to be extremely difficult to achieve. Almost everyone engages in some kind of sexual behavior after they go through puberty. If finding a consensual sexual partner isn't practical, then helping the person understand that masturbation behaviors need to be in a private and safe location is usually the preferred treatment approach.
For folks with ASD who likely have the core abilities to date and engage in consensual sex, but lack the current skills, then a young adult social skills group targeted to these area can be huge help. Some autism providers specialize in this area of teaching dating and sex for young adults. Even so, it is often a huge challenge for people with autism to make connections with people to a level where they feel comfortable discussing sex and negotiating sexual consent and contact. Research by Dr. Isabelle Henault has focused on this area of social functioning for young adults. She has written a book titled "Asperger's Syndrome and Sexuality" to help therapists support folks with ASD to learn about this area of life.
Lastly, while not considered very appropriate any more, there are some medications that reduce libido. Discussions with a medical professional and consent from the patient, where appropriate, would be needed to access this option.
You can always talk about it and try not to have females as therapist and caregivers. They usually have males for males and females for females. You should consult a medical doctor to see if there is s way to slow it down. The military has done that for years. Salt peter!
There is. I suggest you discuss this with your family doctor and see what he recommends....
