So my partner works as an educational assistant at a highschool. He’s currently working with a young man. Well yesterday he tells me this story and I was a tiny bit livid...

The class was watching a movie (all special needs students) and my partner went on his break. When he came back his coworker said she had to speak to him so he said ok. She said that his student had put his hand on another female student’s shoulder in a kind of flirtatious way... so my partner said “ok, and?” Well she goes on to say that they need to watch him more closely. So my partner starts explaining that the student is a young man and has started to notice girls around the school and will often check them out. He explains to her how this is normal behaviour for his age group and he has not been inappropriate in anyway and that it’s a great teaching moment for a life skill here. That they should be explaining and teaching him how to respectfully approach girls, what would be inappropriate, etc. Well both his coworker and teacher were baffled by his response and treated it like an “incident” and made my partner write up a report on it and write a note to the young man’s parents.

I personally think that people with special needs deserve to have relationships and even sexual relations if they are interested and both are consenting and at the legal age.... I don’t understand why anyone would not want these young people learning such important life skills... they aren’t animals! They’re people too!

What’s your opinion? Should social norms regarding sex and relationships be taught to students with special needs? Is there ever a reason not to?