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HomeResources and SupportA-Z resourcesPuberty

Puberty

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Below you will find a variety of resources to help you better understand and/or support someone going through puberty.

Books 

Always my child: a parent's guide to understanding your gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning son or daughter / Jennings, Kevin; Shapiro, Pat. 

New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Offers advice and support for parents with adolescents dealing with sexual identity, personal confusion, bigotry, tension, and other challenges of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.

Changes in you, for girls / Siegel, Peggy C. 

Richmond, VA: Family Life Education Associates, 1991.

This book explains changes of puberty in a simple, positive manner. It covers such topics as physical development, masturbation, and sexual abuse prevention.

Changing bodies, changing lives: a book for teens on sex and relationships.

New York: Random House, 1997.

Candidly discusses teenage sexuality and the many physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence.

Couples with intellectual disabilities talk about living and loving / Schwier, Karin Melberg.

Rockville, MD: Woodbine House, 1994.

This is a collection of profiles of people with disabilities who speak about their lovers and partners.

Hair in funny places / Cole, Babette.

London, UK: Jonathan Cape, 1999.

This is a story book about puberty and growing up. Appropriate for Ages: 8-10 years.

 How can we talk about that? / Woody, Jane DiVita.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

This resource can help you overcome your hang-ups so you can talk to your kids openly and honestly about sex. Throughout the book the author offers parent’s practical ideas for making changes and gaining the information and communication skills they need to guide the next generation toward sexual health.

How to talk with teens about love, relationships, & S-E-X: a guide for parents / Miron, Amy G.

Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, 2002.

This candid guide covers everything you might ever want to discuss with your teen about intimacy and sex. This book provides a place to turn to, strategies to try, ideas for what to say, and guidance for meeting one of the biggest challenges parents face: communicating openly, honestly, and appropriately about these life-shaping, life-changing topics.

I openers: parents ask questions about sexuality and children with developmental disabilities / Hingsburger, Dave. 

Vancouver, BC: Family Support Institute Press, 1993.

This book offers insightful and intelligent answers to real-life questions from parents, with the goal of teaching children with developmental disabilities about sexuality. The author has worked extensively with people with disabilities and he treats this subject not only with sensitivity but with good humour.

It’s perfectly normal: a book about changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health / Harris, Robie H.

Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 1994.

Providing accurate answers to nearly every imaginable question, from conception and puberty to birth control and AIDS, this book offers young people the information they need to make responsible decisions and stay healthy.

Janet's got her period: planning for self-care in menstruation for girls and young women with special learning needs / Gray, Judi. 

Carlton, Australia: Social Biology Resources Centre, 1990.

This resource kit informs women and young girls with intellectual or physical disabilities about menstrual management and self-care. Using graphic depictions, the DVD and accompanying booklet give step-by-step instructions on what young women should know about menstruation.

My body, my self for girls: the "what's happening to my body?" workbook / Madaras, Lynda.

New York: Newmarket Press, 2007.

This book is acknowledged for its thorough coverage of both the physical and emotional issues surrounding puberty and adolescence. It also contains activities, checklists, illustrations, and plenty of room for journal jottings, plus lots of personal stories in which girls share their concerns and experiences about growing up. For ages 10 and up.

 The period book / Gravelle, Karen.

New York: Walker and Company, 1996.

A user-friendly book about menstruation and puberty that addresses many private worries that girls may have a hard time talking about.

 Sex and babies: first facts / Annunziata, Jane.

Washington, DC: Magination Press, 2003.

This book is for children who are ready for the basic but complete story about sexual reproduction.

 Sex is a funny word / Silverberg, Cory.

New York; Oakland: Seven Stories Press, 2015.

A comic book for kids that includes children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, this book is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers.

The sex lives of teenagers: revealing the secret world of adolescent boys and girls / Ponton, Lynn E.

New York: Penguin, 2000.

As therapist and narrator, Dr. Ponton gives the reader the benefit of her wise and compassionate insights into why teenagers so often jeopardize their futures and lives with risky sexual behavior. But more than that, she provides invaluable information and revelations about how teenagers deal with sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender roles, puberty, menstruation, and sexual fantasies.

 Sexuality, relationships and me.

Calgary: Canadian Down Syndrome Society, 1999.

This is a set of 8 booklets on the following topics: Being around other people; Changes in your body for girls; Changes in your body for boys; Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; Intimacy and marriage; Facts on sexual hurting; Masturbation & privacy for girls; Masturbation & privacy for boys.

So your child is gay: a guide for Canadian families and friends / Bain, Jerald.

Toronto: HarperCollins, 2000.

This is the first Canadian guide to help families cope with their fears and concerns, offering well-researched, advice, comfort and hope. Filled with personal anecdotes, this book discusses male/female homosexuality in a family context. It explodes the myths and misconceptions surrounding the subject and deals clearly and compassionately with the real, everyday issues gays and their families face.

The teenage guy’s survival guide / Daltry, Jeremy. 

Boston: Little, Brown, 1999.

This book tackles issues that adolescent boys face each day, from asking a girl out on a date to truths and myths about boys' "rites of passage". Appropriate for ages 12-17 years.

Some assembly required: the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen / Andrews, Arin.

New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2014.

Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student.

 The transgender child / Brill, Stephanie A.

San Francisco: Cleiss Press, 2008.

This book covers the developmental, legal, medical and school issues that families of transgendered children may face.

 Where do babies come from? / Royston, Angela.

Toronto: Macmillan, 1996.

Answers to basic questions young children might have about reproduction. Appropriate for ages 4-6 years.

Websites

  • Adolescent Sexuality: Talk the Talk Before They Walk the Walk – healthychildren.org 
  • Talking to your Child about Puberty - Kids Health – Information for Kids, Teens and Parents from the Nemours Foundation
  • Puberty – Medline Plus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine
  • Teen Sexual Health – Medline Plus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine
  • Physical Health - Kids Help Phone
  • Puberty and Sexual Health – Parenting in Ottawa
  • How to Talk to Your Child About Sex (ages 6 to 8) – Baby Center
  • Sexuality and You
  • Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Teens: Facts for Teens and Their Parents - Healthy Children
  • Sexuality and Disability: Guide for Parents – Alberta Health Services

Videos

  • "The Talk" Sexual Health and Identity by Dr. Stephen Feder, Part 1 (Five part series) – CHEOvideos

Disclaimer

These resources are for educational purposes only. If you have any questions, ask your health-care provider.

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