IMPROVE and CARE: Responding to inappropriate masturbation in people with severe intellectual disabilities

Inappropriate masturbation frequently presents as a challenging behaviour i n people who have intellectual disabilities. Responding to this behaviour r equires an approach that considers the individual's reasons for the behavio r, and meets their individual needs. This paper describes a framework for r esponding to inappropriate masturbation based on principles of respecting t he person's rights, dignity and individuality. The framework uses the acron yms IMPROVE (Investigate, Meet the need, Planned education, Redirection, Op timism, Versatility, Evaluation) and CARE (Consistency, Accuracy, Respect a nd Empowerment) to develop an approach to effectively address this behaviou r.