Sex education programs for people with mental retardation.

Data relating to sexual knowledge, needs, and experience of people with mental retardation and attitudes of caregivers and parents were evaluated. Results suggest that individuals with mental retardation have an unmet need for sexual knowledge, which has occurred, in part, because of the largely negative attitudes of caregivers and parents about the sexuality of these individuals. Their sexuality is either ignored or perceived as a problem. Available sex education programs are generally concerned with providing information on a limited range of subjects, with no assessments of individuals' needs or of reliability, validity, or effectiveness of programs. Adequate sex education must be provided to protect the rights of this population.