Safe Growth

1       Description
 

The Safe Growth Group is designed for early preteen learners on the autism spectrum who are beginning to experience increasing curiosity, social awareness, and developmental changes related to growing up. This small-group program provides direct, developmentally appropriate instruction focused on building safe, respectful, and socially appropriate behaviours related to bodies, puberty, personal boundaries, friendships, and early relationship concepts.

 

Sessions are structured to support neurodiverse learners through clear language, visual supports, guided discussion, role-play activities, and opportunities for practice and repetition. Topics include understanding public and private body parts, consent and personal boundaries, puberty and hygiene, navigating crushes respectfully, and introductory discussions about relationships, identity, and reproduction.

 

The overall goal of the program is to help learners develop practical knowledge and social-behavioural skills that promote safety, self-awareness, respect for others, and confidence as they grow older.

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Session 1: Human Body / Public vs. Private
Learners will identify public and private body parts and demonstrate understanding of rules for privacy, consent, and safe touch (e.g., private body parts are not shown or touched in public spaces; permission is required before touching another person’s body).​

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Session 2: Human Body / Reproductive Biology
Learners will identify the basic functions of male and female reproductive organs and demonstrate understanding of respectful and appropriate language and behaviour when discussing bodies and reproduction.

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Session 3: Puberty
Learners will identify common physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during puberty and demonstrate understanding of appropriate self-care, hygiene, and coping strategies related to these changes.

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Session 4: Crushes and Social Boundaries
Learners will identify behaviours that demonstrate respectful social boundaries when experiencing a crush, including recognizing personal space, consent, privacy, and appropriate ways to express interest in another person.

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Session 5: Relationships, Identity, and Growing Up
Learners will demonstrate understanding that people may experience different types of attraction, relationships, and identities, and will identify age-appropriate, respectful, and consensual behaviours related to relationships, affection, and basic concepts of sexual intercourse.]

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