Children referred to the UK’s largest gender clinic were vastly more likely than average to present with autistic traits. Expand
Children referred to the UK’s largest gender clinic were vastly more likely than average to present with autistic traits.
One study [1] noted that:
48% of children and young people who were seen in GIDS and whose parents completed the social responsiveness scale (SRS), a quantitative measure of autistic behaviours in children and young people, scored in the mild to severe range.
A BMJ paper [2] reported:
Around 35% of referred young people [i.e. referred to the GIDS] present with moderate to severe autistic traits.
REFERENCES
[1] Churcher Clarke, A. & Spiliadis, A. (2019). ‘Taking the lid off the box’: The value of extended clinical assessment for adolescents presenting with gender identity difficulties. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 24 (2): 338-352. [Link]
[2] Butler, G., De Graaf, N., Wren, B. & Carmichael, P. (2018) Assessment and support of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. Archives of Disease in Childhood103:631-636. [Link]