Beyond the Birds and Bees: Breaking Down Barriers to Effective Sex Education

Thursday, 17 Apr 2025 / Published in Podcast

In today's episode of Operant Innovations, host Maddie Duke, MS, BCBA, sits down with Shane Spiker, PhD, BCBA-D, to tackle the often-overlooked topic of comprehensive sex education. Shane cuts through common misconceptions, addresses the unique challenges educators and parents face, and provides evidence-based strategies for teaching sex ed in a way that's both informative and accessible. Whether you're a behavior analyst, educator, or parent, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating safe, effective learning opportunities around sexual health and development. Join us for this important discussion that bridges behavioral science with essential life skills education.

National sex ed standards: https://siecus.org/resource/national-sex-ed-standards-second-edition/

National Down Syndrome Society ad: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4glDF8Jsdx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Sex and Sexuality Across the Lifespan book: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203863008-13/se…

AASECT: https://www.aasect.org/

School of Sexuality: https://www.instagram.com/school_of_sexuality/?hl=en

Organization for Autism Research: https://researchautism.org/

PLSSE assessment: https://sexeducationcollaborative.org/resources/plsse

Maddie: mduke@abatechnologies.com

Shane: stspikerbehavior@gmail.com