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Caring for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth with Co-occurring Neurodiversity

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Pediatric Gender Identity

Abstract

Research points to an association between gender diversity and the clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)/neurodiversity, and it has been suggested that gender dysphoria (GD) and ASD intersect more frequently than would be estimated by chance. Several hypotheses have been forwarded to explain this potential co-occurrence, but empirical evidence for these hypotheses is lacking. Co-occurring ASD might come with specific challenges in assessment of individuals with gender identity questions. However, there is a clinical consensus that GD and ASD can co-occur independently, and that an ASD diagnosis should not be an exclusion criterion for a GD diagnosis in children and adolescents, nor for gender-affirming medical treatment in adolescents. While exploring gender identity in youth with ASD, it is important to take ASD-specific challenges into account and to adjust the assessment process to their needs. With respect to gender affirmative interventions, a carefully evaluated stepwise approach that takes into account specific ASD characteristics is indicated.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank A. Natisha Nabbijohn for the helpful contribution during the draft of the manuscript.

Financial Support

This chapter received no specific grant from any funding agency or commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Roy H. T. van Vlerken & Anna I. R. van der Miesen

  2. Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center, Department of Medical Psychology, Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Coralie E. Fuchs

Authors
  1. Roy H. T. van Vlerken
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  2. Coralie E. Fuchs
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  3. Anna I. R. van der Miesen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roy H. T. van Vlerken .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Michelle Forcier

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Gerrit Van Schalkwyk

  3. Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jack L. Turban

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van Vlerken, R.H.T., Fuchs, C.E., van der Miesen, A.I.R. (2020). Caring for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth with Co-occurring Neurodiversity. In: Forcier, M., Van Schalkwyk, G., Turban, J. (eds) Pediatric Gender Identity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38908-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38909-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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