Sexual Behaviors in Children

When children display sexual behaviors, professionals and caregivers may struggle to know what is developmentally typical, what warrants closer attention, and how to respond without creating unnecessary fear or stigma.

This training gives you a developmentally informed, clinically grounded framework for understanding children’s sexual behaviors and determining when further assessment or intervention is needed.

You’ll learn how to:

• Distinguish developmentally expected sexual curiosity from concerning or problematic sexual behaviors

• Identify key factors that warrant further assessment, including frequency, intensity, coercion, power differences, distress, developmental differences, and response to redirection

• Consider how autism, sensory needs, self-regulation, development, environment, and trauma may influence sexual behaviors

• Recognize patterns that may raise concerns about sexual abuse while avoiding the assumption that sexual behavior alone confirms abuse

• Respond with developmentally appropriate, non-stigmatizing strategies for safety, caregiver education, referral, and treatment

• Apply insights from leading clinicians and researchers, including Eliana Gil, Toni Cavanagh Johnson, and William Friedrich, alongside current research on problematic sexual behavior in children

Replace uncertainty with a thoughtful, developmentally informed approach.

Gain the clinical perspective to respond appropriately, support caregivers, recognize when additional assessment is needed, and help children without shame or stigma.

Enroll today and build the skills to confidently assess and respond to children’s sexual behaviors with greater compassion, clarity, and clinical precision.

North Dakota Professionals Coupon Code: NDKIDS

This effort is associated with North Dakota’s Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) Grant, funded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), administered through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services – Behavioral Health Division.