For too long, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have not had the same opportunities for love, romance, and sexual expression as other people. Misconceptions about their aspirations and abilities limit their privacy, autonomy, and access to needed education, leaving many without the tools and opportunities to safely and confidently enter into romantic relationships.
Despite their clear desire for connection, people with IDD face social, familial, and institutional barriers that limit their dating experiences and understanding of love, from limited social networks to exclusion from sex education. Experts now emphasize that providing comprehensive, explicit and reproducible education on relationships and sexuality is not only a matter of safety, but also a matter of dignity, equality and the fundamental right to love.
Researchers from the Florida Atlantic University School of Education addressed this critical gap by exploring the use of video modeling interventions to improve relationship skills and provide sex education to youth with IDD. This study focused on whether video modeling helps participants recognize appropriate and inappropriate romantic behaviors across multiple contexts, including face-to-face verbal interactions, face-to-face physical interactions, online verbal interactions, and online physical interactions, and whether these skills are maintained after the intervention ends.
To implement this intervention, researchers developed a training program featuring 80 videos depicting both appropriate and inappropriate romantic scenarios. Each participant watched a selected video and practiced responding to the situation using a 10-step task analysis. Researchers measured how effectively a video modeling program helped adults with IDD make safe and informed decisions when interacting with potential partners.
Research results published in magazines sexuality and disability; We found that the video modeling intervention significantly improved participants’ decision-making skills across all four relationship domains: face-to-face verbal interactions, face-to-face physical interactions, online verbal interactions, and online physical interactions. Before the intervention, participants completed an average of only 20% of steps correctly, but once video training began, accuracy jumped to 76%. Two weeks after the end of the intervention, proficiency decreased slightly, but participants still performed well above baseline, with an average accuracy of 83%.
Overall, the findings of this study indicate that the video program effectively helped adults with IDD recognize and respond appropriately to both safe and unsafe relationship scenarios.
This study also highlighted the need for targeted instruction in the face-to-face physical realm, where errors were more common, and demonstrated that remote video-based training allowed participants to engage with sensitive content in a private and collaborative environment.
Social validity results highlighted the importance of participant and family engagement and showed that the program facilitated meaningful discussion, enhanced decision-making, and improved communication regarding relationships and intimacy. This study confirms that individuals with IDD can gain important skills to safely navigate romantic relationships and challenge societal misconceptions that they do not want or deserve meaningful romantic or sexual experiences.
Love education and sex education are not luxuries. It is a fundamental aspect of dignity and independence for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This study shows that with the right tools, these people can navigate complex relationship situations safely and confidently. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating evidence-based, accessible education into schools and post-secondary programs to help students make informed decisions, recognize boundaries, and fully develop meaningful romantic relationships. ”
Dr. Brianna Miller, senior author, faculty member in the FAU Department of Special Education and Community Inclusion Academy
Going forward, researchers suggest that this approach can serve as a model for comprehensive sex education, ensuring all individuals have the knowledge and skills to build healthy relationships on their own terms.
Co-author of the study is Dr. Lauren Berlingo, assistant professor at Troy University. Dr. Kaylee Adams, Visiting Lecturer; Dr. Kelly Carney, Assistant Professor; Elisa Cruz, Ed.D., Instructor. and associate professor Dr. Lisa Finnegan, all of whom are in FAU’s Department of Special Education.
sauce:
florida atlantic university
Reference magazines:
Miller, B. Others. (2026). Using video modeling to teach romantic relationships to college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sexuality and disability. DOI: 10.1007/s11195-025-09925-7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11195-025-09925-7
