Objective:

To explore parents' perceptions in relation to communication about sexuality with their autistic children.

Methodology:

Qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study, which was developed in three care centers for autistic children and adolescents in the states of Baja California and Sinaloa, Mexico. Four mothers and one father of children/adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder participated and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The data were analyzed by means of the content analysis technique.

Results:

Two themes were identified: (1) Barriers to communication about sexuality, with four sub-themes (Inadequate identification of sexuality issues, low self-efficacy for communication about sexuality, lack of trained professionals, and lack of adequate tools or materials for communication about sexuality); (2) Fears and concerns about lack of communication about sexuality.

Conclusions:

Parents recognize the important aspects that influence the type and manner in which sexual topics are addressed, being reduced to personal hygiene and masturbation, leaving aside those that involve greater sensitivity such as sexual abuse, likewise, parents only touch on the necessary topics, according to the child's stage of development.