Autism and trans

[Randomusername01]

As an autistic person and parent of autistic child, was horrified to read this article, and in particular this line One practical outcome of this research is that clinicians are recommending that autistic youth should be screened for gender dysphoria. Wtf. No no no.

I would prefer the reverse tbh. Screen all those teens coming to gender clinics for ASD and anything else thats formed their gender identity in a different way to their peers.

It was the autism correlation that peak transed me.

I think they have it backwards. Children presenting with gender dysphoria should be assessed for autism first.

If you are misdiagnosed with ASD that’s not going to lead to sterility, genital mutilation and a lifetime of hormone dependency.

Absolutely agree, they should reverse the screening. I find this so scary, my dc is 8 and atm secure and happy in their body, sex and gender but once they hit their teens and puberty comes along their feelings will be all over the place, and affected worse by their autism. I'm so worried they are going to be convinced by misguided peers/councillors/internet that the answer to their problems is trans. My dc is very naive and I guess gullible is the kindest word and it doesn't take much effort to convince them of anything.

I worry about this too. I have 3 with ASD; the older two would have no problem with telling anyone attempting to screen them for gender dysphoria to piss off. The youngest sounds like your DC Random : very trusting, easily led, doesn’t realise that people might be disingenuous. He is a couple of years older than yours and sometimes puts jumpers over his head so that they hang down at the back and says,
“Look, I’m a girl”. He also loves pink and sparkly things, but is absolutely secure in the knowledge that he is a boy. All it would take is for him to ‘demonstrate’ pretending to be a girl in front of a woke and well-meaning member of staff at school and I dread to think what would be interpreted.

When it comes to children you can screen for anything you like and label stuff whatever they like, truth be told there is no medical test to prove ASD or gender dysphoria, they both seem an easy diagnosis that are just dished out.
With adults it's not an issue, I don't care if someone wants to go get themselves a diagnosis of ASD or gender dysphoria... As anyone who wants to can if they really want to.
It's the implications of what then happens to a child from such a diagnosis that is the dangerous territory.

ASD is real Lichtie though I guess there will always be chancers who don't actually have the difficulties or need the scarce support as it is. I don't see how GD can be diagnosed in children, it used to a small number of adults who were 100% sure.

A diagnosis of ASD doesn't harm a child.

A diagnosis of gender dysphoria, on the other hand ...

Why on earth would any thinking person want to encourage autistic children to think they are trans?
It is not like you have to "screen" for genderfeelz, the teens will scream it in your face.

(And as for dysphoria about the stupid gender stereotype society assigns to them, why would you "screen" for them? Hating stupid gender stereotypes isn't an illness.)

ScotsHeather I wasn't meaning to imply its not real. I don't believe everyone that is diagnosed with it or claims to has it actually does, but that's a side issue.
A wrong diagnosis of asd has very little real life consequences so it's not a big issue. If you are going to treat gender dysphoria the way some want in children then a wrong diagnosis has serious consequences

there is no medical test to prove ASD

Actually they've been testing bloods for a little while now, with about 90% accurate results for Autism, because it’s an actual genetic thing.

Maybe when she’s exposed to the trans ideology you also take time to explain the autism link?

Scarily I think most people have to fight for an ASD diagnosis- they're not given easily

This reeks of wanting to find patients to diagnose

Where do they get the money from to screen for gender dysphoria if they don't have it to screen for ASD?

That article is absolutely appalling

There does appear to be a correlation , (statistically? anecdotally? ) , between incidence of GD and autism. But it does not seem to be very clear cut, and does not apply in every case.

My theory ,such as it is, based on a career in special education, is that some at least MAY be connected to a feeling of being " different", and a wish to find " a rational explanation" for that.

But that is hardly an explanation of any overall connection, and it seems unlikely to apply equally to girls who are " trans-identified".

Though even there, it is only recently that it has become clear that autism in females is seriously under-reported.

CaptainKirksSpookyghost do you have a link for that, never heard of it before, knew there were studies but didn't think it was anywhere near In use or proven.

CaptainKirk could you please point me at some references for the genetic testing? I seem to have missed that somewhere (am not being doubting, would just like to read about it - way back I was involved in genetic screening for other things so I'm interested to see where the science has got to).

Sorry - bit cross! No mention of the fact that a lot of kids with ASD are highly suggestible and desperately trying to find a way to fit in/explain who they are to others. Identifying as trans can be a) a way to become cool and increase popularity; b) a way of explaining to yourself and others that you are different (visible rather than invisible disability); and c) give a kid with ASD some 'hope' that if they only could change their body, they'd fit in and be 'normal'.

The whole thing stinks.

People with asd have a strong sense of self, this includes their gender identity! No dr would be able to persuade she is anything but a she - she has autism, this means she knows her own mind more than the average young person. The kids I worry about are those with depression.

Dropping in something from another thread where we mentioned the frankly bizarre GIRES claim that transition has been associated with the remission of autism, symptoms of ASD etc. I'm having to give a Twitter source with screenshots for this because GenderTrender has been banned by Wordpress (and that's the place the Tweeter meant).

The symptoms have disappeared once the dysphoria has been treated.

twitter.com/ThrupennyBit/status/1044253173597261824

The full page 7 quotation from which the above is taken is:

Anecdotally, young people who have been successfully treated, are often described as having no residual ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder]. The symptoms have disappeared once the dysphoria has been treated.

CaptainKirk could you please point me at some references for the genetic testing?

I'm on a phone right now so i can't link easily. but it's to do with groups of proteins and it's very early days.

I’m expecting ‘better to have a son than an autistic daughter’ to join ‘better to have a daughter than a dead son’ soon.

They’ve been pushing an eating disorder connection recently too.

Cross dressing is the new homeopathy. It can cure anything just by magic.

People with asd have a strong sense of self, this includes their gender identity!

What rubbish, stereotyping doesn't help.

People with autism are classed as vulnerable for a reason.

I don't think the stats back that up anniehm. 1/3 of children referred to the Tavi are on the spectrum. That over representation suggests anything but.

Cross dressing is the new homeopathy. It can cure anything just by magic.

I liked homeopathy better. Does less damage and most people aren't rabid enough about it to disregard

Anecdotally, young people who have been successfully treated, are often described as having no residual ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder]. The symptoms have disappeared once the dysphoria has been treated.
I suppose those anecdotes are about young women who were diagnosed with autism for not performing femininity and not giving a shit about male's opinions.
After declaring those young women men, their behaviour would have remained exactly the same, but since that sort of behaviour is considered normal in men, autism cured.

We generally have a weaker sense of self, and we have less less understanding of our feelings (alexythemia). I had to have counselling to learn to recognise my own emotions before they get out of hand.

People learn to interpret their emotions by recognising them in others. Autistic people are less able to read them in others and to extrapolate that back onto their own emotions.

People with asd have a strong sense of self, this includes their gender identity!

All the autistic people I know don't have a gender identity.

Which means they will feel out of place in a genderist society until they either become radfems or identify as "nonbinary".
Both are possible outcomes, and for people surrounded by genderist, you can guess what is the most likely one.

Having a strong sense of self and knowing exactly how much you feel like "a gender" (namely, not at all) can be dangerous if you let other people persuade you that normal people need to feel like a gender, and if you don't, you are "nonbinary" or something and have to mutilate your breasts.