A Parent’s Guide on Puberty for Girls with Disabilities

Puberty can be a stressful and confusing time, especially for you and your daughter with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability (I/DD). In spite of delays in other areas, children
with I/DD usually enter puberty around the same time as other children their age. Some children with I/DD, including children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, may start puberty early (called precocious puberty). This toolkit gives you resources and tips on how to talk to your daughter about these sensitive topics.

Talking To My Daughter About These Things
Start early. Talk with your daughter before obvious signs of puberty begin.

Teach body parts. Use the formal words for body parts (e.g., vagina, breast) and bodily functions (e.g., urinate, period). This prevents confusion and gives your child words to use later
when learning about puberty, cleanliness, and reproduction. See Teaching Body Parts Appendix for a visual you can use to teach your daughter the names for body parts and to explain how her body is changing.

Use supports. You know the ways your daughter learns best. Teach about puberty the same way you teach about other important topics. For example, if your daughter learns best with repetition, break information down into simple facts and review them often. If she learns best with pictures, try using visual supports or social stories. These supports make hard-to-understand topics clearer. Review the supports we have developed to get ideas about how to teach skills (see Teaching Body Parts Appendix). Change them to fit your daughter’s learning style.