Period of change: supporting autistic girls and girls with Down syndrome through puberty

Helen O'Callaghan asks what can be done to help autistic girls and girls with intellectual disabilities prepare for menstruation  

Fiona Ferris says, as adults, we can forget menstruation and all the routines around it need to be explicitly taught - in ways that suit everyone

When special education primary teacher, Ciara Heneghan, asked parents of nine to 13-year-old girls with Down syndrome if they’d spoken with their daughters about periods, 50% had not.

And when the Roscommon-based teacher asked the 20 parents if their child knew what body changes to expect as they entered puberty, 70% said no.