Library Thursdays: Protective behaviour resources

It's not always easy to know what to say to children to help them learn to be safe without causing anxiety, alarm or even confusion. Picking up warning cues or even thinking that other people may have bad intentions may not come naturally to children with Down syndrome. Our library has a few resources to help with this.

Everyone's got a bottom (by Tess Rowley, illustrated by Jodi Edwards, Family Planning Queensland, 2007) is a good book to teach about private parts and beginning learning about protective behaviours. There is a couple of pages in the back for parents with strategies.

Teaching children with Down syndrome about their bodies, boundaries and sexuality (by Terri Couwenhoven, Woodbine House, 2007) is useful for parents and teachers of young children right up to adults. It covers body awareness, private/public concepts, puberty, social skills, relationships and sexuality. There are teaching materials as well. It is a great book and recommended for all parents.

Another resource is Relationships: Going round in circles (by Lorna Davin, Family Planning NSW, 1991), a small booklet which describes the Circle Concept to explain degrees of intimacy in different relationships.

Also available is Responding positively to sexual behaviours: The Traffic Lights Model (Family Planning Queensland, 2007). It is a DVD, CD and factsheet for teachers and professionals to "Identify, Access and Respond to sexual behaviours that may cause concern in school settings".

Another teacher resource is Developing personal safety skills in children with disabilities (by Freda Briggs, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1995) which has modules covering Self-esteem, Assertiveness, Coping with hazards, Bodies, Private parts, Feelings, Touching.

And there are a couple of resources by Dave Hingsburger on reducing the risk of sexual abuse of people with developmental disabilities: Just Say Know!(Diverse City Press, 1995) and The Whole Truth(Diverse City Press, 2008), a DVD and book abuse prevention training program developed with people(adults) with intellectual disabilities to help them recognise and report boundary transgressions.

A resource on the web created by people with intellectual disabilities in the UK, which is not quite as confronting is the Stay Safe Rap by Roaring Mouse Drama Group and Shoot Your Mouth Off Productions. It is quite good although it does have the UK 999 emergency number which would have to be explained.

If you would like to borrow any of these or anything else from the library, just email us or call.