Abstract
Inappropriate masturbation frequently presents as a challenging behaviour in people who have intellectual disabilities. Responding to this behaviour requires an approach that considers the individual’s reasons for the behaviour, and meets their individual needs. This paper describes a framework for responding to inappropriate masturbation based on principles of respecting the person’s rights, dignity and individuality. The framework uses the acronyms IMPROVE (Investigate, Meet the need, Planned education, Redirection, Optimism, Versatility, Evaluation) and CARE (Consistency, Accuracy, Respect and Empowerment) to develop an approach to effectively address this behaviour.