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Autism and transgender

The study by Warrier and colleagues (2020), published in Nature Communications, found in a large cohort (more than 640,000 people) that transgender and gender-diverse individuals were three to six times more likely to have an autism diagnosis than cisgender individuals and scored higher on autistic traits.

Findings

The study by Warrier and colleagues (2020), published in Nature Communications, found in a large cohort (more than 640,000 people) that transgender and gender-diverse individuals were three to six times more likely to have an autism diagnosis than cisgender individuals and scored higher on autistic traits.

Clinical significance

The Cass Review stresses that the high prevalence of autism and other neurodivergent characteristics in the youth gender-care population deserves attention in diagnosis and decision-making. In autistic young people, gender dysphoria may have a different developmental dynamic.

Recommendations

International recommendations stress the importance of a broad developmental and mental-health evaluation prior to medical interventions, with attention to the impact of autism on identity development, social understanding and decision-making capacity.