The main body of the RSHP resource offers learning activities to meet the diverse needs of learners. On occasion learners with additional support needs/disabilities will benefit from additional or enhanced content such as that provided in the publications listed here.
Material is categorised as follows:

  • Safety
  • Menstruation
  • Puberty
  • Personal space/boundaries
  • Sexual health/reproduction
  • Personal hygiene
  • Life-course
  • Contraception
  • Self-examination
  • Transgender
  • Publications in Braille

Safety

Sexuality and Safety with Tom and Ellie

This series of books by Kate E. Reynolds addresses a range of issues including puberty, masturbation, public/private and using public toilets.
https://toppsta.com/books/series/7034/sexuality-and-safety-with-tom-and-ellie
Available as hard copy or to download as E-books.

  • What’s Happening to Ellie?: A book about puberty for girls and young women with autism and related conditions
    ISBN 1849055262
    Ellie notices that her body is changing. Hair is growing in new places and there are other changes happening too. Ellie’s mum helps her understand that she has started growing into a woman. Following Ellie as she begins to notice changes to her body, this simple resource helps parents and carers teach girls with autism and related conditions about puberty.
  • What’s Happening to Tom?: A book about puberty for boys and young men with autism and related conditions
    ISBN 1849055238
    Tom notices that his body is changing. Tom’s voice is different and hair is growing in new places. There are other changes happening too. Tom learns that he has started growing into a man. Following Tom as he begins to notice changes to his body, this simple resource helps parents and carers teach boys with autism or other special needs about puberty.
  • Things Ellie Likes
    ISBN: 978-1-84905-525-3
    A book to teach girls and young women with autism or other special needs about masturbation and when and where it is appropriate. It also helps to introduce the concepts of public and private and to establish ground rules.
  • Things Tom Likes
    ISBN: 978-1-84905-522-2
    A book to teach boys and young men with autism or other special needs about masturbation and when and where it is appropriate. It also helps to introduce the concepts of public and private and to establish ground rules.
  • Ellie Needs to Go
    ISBN: 978-1-84905-524-6
    In this book, we join Ellie as she is out and about and needs to use a public toilet. It provides parents and carers with the opportunity to teach girls and young women with autism and other special needs how to use public toilets safely and to understand the social etiquette.
  • Tom needs to go
    ISBN: 978-0-85700-935-7
    In this book, we join Tom as he is out and about and needs to use a public toilet. It provides parents and carers with the opportunity to teach boys and young men with autism and other special needs how to use urinals and cubicles safely and to understand the social etiquette.

The Aspie Girl’s Guide to Being Safe with Men
Debi Brown
ISBN 9781849053549
As a young woman with Asperger’s syndrome herself, Debi Brown has written warmly, honestly and from a position of knowledge about how to address the problem of girls with Asperger’s syndrome being safe in relationships with men. 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aspie-Girls-Guide-BeingSafe/dp/1849053545

Menstruation

The Autism-Friendly guide to periods
Robyn Steward
ISBN 9781785923241
Changes during puberty, such as the onset of periods, are challenging for girls on the autism spectrum. Written from experience by an autistic woman, this straightforward guide to periods helps the reader to prepare in great detail.
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Autism-Friendly-Guide-to-Periods-by-Robyn-Steward/9781785923241

Periods a Practical Guide
Mai Rees et al
A training pack and visual guide for young women/women with a learning disability.
http://www.bodysense.org.uk/periods.shtml

Susan’s Growing up
Sheila Hollins and Valerie Sinason
ISBN: 9781784581152
This is a story about what can happen to a girl when she starts her period.
https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/bookshop/paperbacks/susans-growing

Puberty

The Growing Up Guide for Girls: What Girls on the Autism Spectrum Need to Know!
Davida Hartman
ISBN 1849055742
This charmingly illustrated guide for girls is full of facts and advice about growing up, puberty, body image, friendship, crushes and more! Written in literal language and addressing sensory issues, safety, and social skills throughout, it offers an ideal introduction to the teenage years for girls with autism aged 9 to 14.
https://www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk/the-growing-up-guide-for-girls.html

The Growing Up Book for Boys: What Boys on the Autism Spectrum Need to Know!
Davida Hartman
ISBN 1849055750
This growing up guide for boys is full of facts, tips and colour illustrations explaining puberty, body image, hygiene, friendship, crushes and more! Written in literal language and addressing sensory issues, safety, and social skills throughout, it offers an ideal introduction to the teenage years for boys with autism aged 9 to 14.
https://www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk/the-growing-up-book-for-boys-what-boys-on-the-autism-spectrum-need-to-know.html

Down’s Syndrome Scotland booklets
Booklets for young people growing up with Down’s Syndrome: https://www.dsscotland.org.uk/resources/publications/for-parents-of-young-people/

  • Let’s Talk Periods
  • Let’s Talk Puberty
  • Let’s talk about Keeping Healthy

Busy Bodies: a book about puberty for you and your parents
Produced by Health Service Executive, Ireland.

BUSY BODIES: A BOOK ABOUT PUBERTY (HSE, Ireland)Download

Personal space / boundaries

Personal Space Camp
Julia Cook
ISBN 1931636877
Louis, a self-taught space expert is delighted to learn that his teacher has sent him to the principal’s office to attend personal space camp.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Personal-Space-Camp-Julia-Cook/dp/1931636877

Harrison Spader, Personal Space Invader
Christianne C. Jones
ISBN 1474764371
Harrison P. Spader sat a little too close. Shook hands a little too long. High-fived a little too hard. And hugged a little too much. Harrison P. Spader was a personal space invader. But that all changes when he learns the Space Saver rhyme.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harrison-Spader-Personal-Invader-Little/dp/1474764371/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0

Friendship 5 and the Personal Space Bubbles: A story about personal space and consent
Nadia Dewji
ISBN 1517213592
Join the children of the friendship 5 as they learn about consent and personal space.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Friendship-Personal-Space-Bubbles-personal/dp/1517213592/

Sexual health / reproduction

How babies are made
An easy-read resource to help children with learning disabilities, or primary school children, to learn about ‘How Babies Are Made’.

ASN How Babies Are Made (Booklet)Download

(For audio function, download, save the pdf, and then open in Acrobat Reader.)

Personal Hygiene

Personal Hygiene? What’s that got to do with me?
Pat Crissey
ISBN 1843107965
Hands-on activities with repetition and reinforcement. Suitable for young people with learning and developmental disabilities.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Personal-Hygiene-Whats-that-Got-ebook/dp/B0033AHGNI

Life-course

The Journey of Life: How people change from babies to older people
Karen Dodd, Vicky Turk and Michelle Christmas
ISBN 9781904082910
Designed to help people with a learning disability who need support to understand the stages of life, this book shows what to expect as part of the normal life cycle.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-Life-People-Change-Babies/dp/1904082912

Contraception

Easy read leaflets about contraception
Produced by NHS Forth Valley. https://www.centralsexualhealth.org/contraception/easy-read-leaflets/

Self-examination

Looking after my balls
Sheila Hollins and Justin Wilson
ISBN: 9781904671053
The pictures tell the story of Tom, who finds a lump while checking his testicles in the shower. We follow him as he seeks help from his GP, has tests and hears that the lump is not due to cancer.
https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/bookshop/paperbacks/looking-after-my-balls

Looking after my breasts
Sheila Hollins and Wendy Perez
ISBN: 9781784580957
This book can be used to prepare women before going for breast screening, and to increase breast awareness.
https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/bookshop/paperbacks/looking-after-my-breasts

Transgender

What is transgender?
An easy-to-read resource created by the former LGBT Learning Disability Project at LGBT Health and Wellbeing.
extension://elhekieabhbkpmcefcoobjddigjcaadp/https://centralsexualhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/11/What-is-Transgender.pdfpdf

Publications in Braille

National Braille Press
The US-based publisher has these books available in Braille as downloads: