Research points to an association between gender diversity and the clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)/neurodiversity, and it has been suggested that gender dysphoria (GD) and ASD intersect more frequently than would be estimated by chance. Several hypotheses have been forwarded to explain this potential co-occurrence, but empirical evidence for these hypotheses is lacking. Co-occurring ASD might come with specific challenges in assessment of individuals with gender identity questions. However, there is a clinical consensus that GD and ASD can co-occur independently, and that an ASD diagnosis should not be an exclusion criterion for a GD diagnosis in children and adolescents, nor for gender-affirming medical treatment in adolescents. While exploring gender identity in youth with ASD, it is important to take ASD-specific challenges into account and to adjust the assessment process to their needs. With respect to gender affirmative interventions, a carefully evaluated stepwise approach that takes into account specific ASD characteristics is indicated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
CITATION STYLE
van Vlerken, R. H. T., Fuchs, C. E., & van der Miesen, A. I. R. (2020). Caring for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth with Co-occurring Neurodiversity. In Pediatric Gender Identity (pp. 137–148). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_10
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