Our Story
The Center for Sexuality Education is a resource, training, and consultation center for educators at all levels, teaching sexuality education to individuals with developmental disabilities.
We are dedicated to providing comprehensive educational tools for educators teaching sexuality education, grades K-12 ~ covering a wide range of content areas including relationships, social skills, friendships, romantic love, as well as learning into puberty, health, and hygiene.
We believe in the importance of empowering educators with evidence-based knowledge and teaching strategies for educating students with developmental disabilities imparting knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and lead fulfilling lives.
Throughout the utilization of evidence-based teaching, we empower individuals with developmental disabilities to take active roles in their own sexuality lives
Who are we?
The CSE was created by Pamela S. Wolfe, Ph.D., and Cheryl Ostryn, Ph.D., BCBA-D., LBA., OLBAB, who have a combined 70 years of experience in working with individuals with developmental disabilities, K-12 teaching, research, and university teaching.
Pamela S. Wolfe is an emeritus associate professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Wolfe received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas in Elementary and Special Education, and her Ph.D. degree from the University of Virginia in Special Education. Dr. Wolfe’s research centers on instruction of individuals having severe disabilities and ASD. She co-edited The Autism Encyclopedia and has published her work in a variety of scholarly and practitioner-based venues. During her career, Dr. Wolfe received national funding for projects related to advocacy strategies, and collaboration among service personnel in special education. She continues to conduct research related to sexuality education and advocacy strategies for individuals with developmental disabilities. Dr. Wolfe believes that teachers need empirically based strategies to effectively teach students with disabilities and works to link teachers with research.
Dr. Cheryl Ostryn received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Middlesex University in London, UK, her doctoral degree in Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University, and completed her postdoctoral work at The University of Colorado, Denver. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D), an Associate Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis, and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in OK, TX, and NY. Dr Ostryn teaches classes related to Autism, Sexuality Education, Assessment, and Research Methods. Dr. Ostryn has published in several scientific journals including and presented her research at regional, national, and international conferences, and has won several awards for her work in the field of autism. Her main research interests include teaching sexuality education to individuals with developmental disabilities, teaching functional communication to individuals with disabilities using a model of Verbal Behavior and teaching wh-questions to individuals with autism.