Sexuality Education Curriculum Content for Malaysian Students with Learning Disabilities

Sexuality education for students with learning disabilities has not been formally established in Malaysia. This study aimed to identify special education teachers’ acceptance of sexuality education content for secondary school students with learning disabilities. A nation-wide survey was conducted with 314 heads of the integrated program for students with learning disabilities. They rated the appropriateness of 42 sexuality education topics for students with learning disabilities. A principal component analysis revealed three distinct dimensions: human development and interpersonal skills; sexual behavior; and, social-sexual health, society and culture. Topics in the human development and interpersonal skills as well as the sexual health, society and culture dimensions were rated higher than topics in the sexual behavior dimension. This empirical finding was reflective of typical beliefs about sexuality in a conservative society. The practitioners perceived sexuality education for students with learning disabilities from a socialized biological perspective, with medical and social-based topics clustered under similar dimensions. Results also did not differ across gender. In conclusion, cultural context contributed to the acceptability of sexuality education content. We advocate that teachers be provided with more exposure and support to teach topics deemed more sensitive in a conservative society.