Autism and Gender Dysphoria

Survey data from Autism Parenting Magazine reveals almost 6% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some form of gender dysphoria.

Autism Parenting Magazine (APM) sent a survey to more than 160,000 email subscribers around the world, gathering exclusive insight into gender and autism.

When asked “Is your child struggling with their gender identity?” 5.7% of respondents answered “Yes.”

These respondents were then posed further questions. 50% stated their child’s gender confusion started at age 10 or older, 33.3% said signs appeared under five years old, and the remaining 16.7% selected age five to 10 years.

APM asked what pronouns these children prefer to use. A significant 17.6% selected the gender neutral pronoun “They.” Meanwhile, 59.6% stated “He” or “She,” but only 17.6% of these use the pronoun they were assigned at birth. The remaining 5.4% gave other responses (with many of these stating their child is nonverbal).

Only 4.5% of those surveyed administer puberty blocker medication, but 20% stated they would consider using puberty blockers in the future.

APM’s final question was: “Do you know other families with autistic children experiencing gender dysphoria?” A significant 34.8% replied “Yes.”

“When our survey results are compared to DSM-5 data stating gender dysphoria is present in 0.005–0.014% of biological males and 0.002–0.003% of biological females globally, it seems gender is a significant topic in the autism community​​,” said Emily Ansell Elfer, Editor of Autism Parenting Magazine.

“The reasons for this are a matter for debate. Some experts believe people on the spectrum are naturally more nuanced, while others say it’s a result of gender fluidity gaining increasing coverage in the media.”

Read the full article on the Autism Parenting Magazine website for more information on these findings.

Source: Autism Parenting Magazine | Autism and Gender Dysphoria: 5.7% of Autistic Children Struggle With Gender Identity, https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autistic-children-gender-identity/?msID=0d75ad97-a720-4b5b-83ca-f10238144df4 | copyright 2022 Autism Parenting Magazine Limited

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