Sexuality Education and Sexual Health Promotion in Neurodevelopmental Diversity: A Structured Scoping Evidence Map and Framework Synthesis

Neurodevelopmentally diverse young people require sexuality education that supports relationships, consent, bodily autonomy, sexual health, safeguarding, and access to help. This structured scoping evidence map and framework synthesis examined sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health, relationships and consent, digital sexual safety, abuse prevention, safeguarding, and trauma-related response across neurodevelopmental populations and settings. Guided by JBI scoping-review methodology and PRISMA-ScR, the structured searches identified 2,602 database records. After deduplication, 1,836 records were screened; 342 unique full-text reports were assessed across formal-database and supplementary pathways. The final corpus comprised 228 included reports, including 32 retained with restricted extraction; 114 full-text reports were excluded. Evidence was concentrated in autism and intel­lectual/developmental disability, with substantially less direct evidence for ADHD, specific learning disorder, and developmental language/communication disorders. The synthesis informed RIVEST-ND, an author-developed framework integrating Relationships and rights, Inclusive supports, Voice and autonomy, Ecological systems of support, Sexuality education, and Trauma-informed safeguarding. The framework is an organizing synthesis rather than a validated curriculum or intervention and requires stakeholder co-design, feasibility testing, implementation research, and outcome evaluation.