A psychologist with a Manchester, NH, pediatric gender clinic admits that clinicians don’t know why they’re seeing so many autistic kids who think they’re trans, but they’re medicalizing them anyway.
“We don’t understand why there’s such a high comorbidity between autism and being trans, but it does exist,” said Alisa Hurwitz, a psychologist with Dartmouth Health’s Transgender Health Program in our discussion on July 4. “There’s a little more exploration that has happened when we do an evaluation. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to have the medical care they need.”
Why are those with autism three to six times as likely to identify as trans? They tend to use the internet compulsively and have trouble evaluating the information they receive, making them vulnerable to grooming and social media influencers.
Transgenderism also gives autistic kids an explanation of why they have trouble fitting in. Autism expert Dr. Sally Powis said autistic teens could be fixated on the idea they were born into the wrong body when gender has nothing to do with their social problems.
As a woman who’s questioning her own transition explains:
Speaking from my experience, when an undiagnosed neurodivergent person doesn’t fit into a same-sex social group when we’re growing up or we don’t understand their social cues or cannot relate to any of the things they’re sharing, we might think ‘maybe I’m not that gender, and THAT’S the problem,’ instead of looking at the bigger picture of it being discomfort with neurotypicals. I think autistic women are more likely to struggle with this because there’s usually more subtext/coded language/emotional intelligence and empathy required in female friend groups’ communication patterns.
So what help is there for parents trying to save their autistic daughters from the fanatics who would push her to take puberty blockers, cut off her breasts, go on testosterone, and get a hysterectomy?
Unfortunately, the therapists that parents turn to for help will likely only push their children down the path of medical transitioning and they may even threaten the parents with their child’s suicide. The American Psychological Association is an ideological organization that advocates for affirmative care, a treatment model NH Governor Chris Sununu has signed into law.
Related: No, Dr. Hurwitz, Signs Don’t Kill Children and Transing Doesn’t Save Them
As one detransitioner observes, the same clinicians treating children with autism might also be strong advocates for medical transition:
My experience is that there is a lot of overlap between the ‘transition is always the answer’ crowd and the ‘autism is purely positive’ crowd. I wish doctors could actually research and talk about this without being called ableists for thinking increased severity of autistic traits can potentially be an issue.
Yet despite bad laws, radical therapists, and opportunistic clinics, there is support available for parents through Parents of ROGD (Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria) Kids, Partners for Ethical Care, and Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT).