New research indicates that transgender and non-binary individuals are much more likely to have autism or display autistic traits than the wider population.
The finding has important implications for gender confirmation treatments.
Lead study author Dr Steven Stagg says gender identity clinics should screen patients for autism
Lead author Dr Steven Stagg, of Anglia Ruskin University, said it meant gender identity clinics should screen patients for autism.
The clinics should then adapt their consultation process and therapy accordingly, he said.
One of the first non-binary studies
The study is one of the first to focus on people who identify as non-binary.
It found that 14 per cent of the transgender and non-binary group had a diagnosis of autism.
A further 28 per cent of the group reached the cut-off point for an autism diagnosis. This suggests there were a high number of potentially undiagnosed individuals.
Undiagnosed autistic women
These figures were primarily driven by high scoring among those whose assigned gender was female at birth. This supports recent evidence that there is a large population of undiagnosed autistic women.
The authors also found higher levels of systematising (a tendency to analyse, control and use rule-based systems) and lower levels of empathy among the transgender and non-binary group. These are common characteristics in individuals with autism.
The study of 177 people reported an autism diagnosis of 4 per cent for the cisgender group (those whose gender identity matches their gender at birth). This is higher than previously reported estimates for the wider population. The authors believe that self-selection for the study could be responsible for the discrepancy.
High proportion of autism in transgender and non-binary group
Dr Stagg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin, said: “We found that a significant proportion of the transgender and non-binary group either had a diagnosis of autism or displayed autistic traits, including difficulty in empathising and an overreliance on systematic, rule-based reasoning.
He added: “One of the striking findings was the number of individuals born female who met the cut-off for autism spectrum disorder. This is particularly important, given that individuals born female are twice as likely to be referred to gender identity clinics.
“Problems interpreting social signals, a literal understanding of language and difficulty recognising and interpreting one’s own emotions could mean that individuals struggle with therapeutic interventions.
“People with autism are also more likely to seek unequivocal answers to the complex issues surrounding gender identity. Our study suggests it is important that gender identity clinics screen patients for autism spectrum disorders and adapt their consultation process and therapy accordingly.”
The researchers published their study in the journal European Psychiatry.
Related:
- Autism common in sex-change patients
- Girls grow more autistic in adolescence
- Girls afffected differently, study finds
Published: 17 July 2019
