Brief Report: Gender Identity Differences in Autistic Adults: Associations with Perceptual and Socio-cognitive Profiles

Abstract

Prior research has shown an elevation in autism traits and diagnoses in individuals seen for gender related consultation and in participants self-identifying as transgender. To investigate this relationship between autism and gender identity from a new angle, we compared the self-reported autism traits and sensory differences between participants with autism who did or did not identify with their assigned sex (i.e. cisgender or trans and non-binary, respectively). We found broad elevation of most cognitive autism traits in the trans and non-binary group (those who identified with a gender other than their assigned gender), and lower visual and auditory hypersensitivity. We contrast these data to existing hypotheses and propose a role for autistic resistance to social conditioning.

Both sex- and gender-related factors should be considered in autism research and clinical practice

“…There is an increasing recognition of the prevalence of gender experiences that fall outside of the 'male' and 'female' binary categories (Vincent, 2019), including experiences of having components of both, neither or fluidity of the binary genders. Emerging evidence suggests that nonbinary experiences and identities may be particularly common in autism (Dewinter et al, 2017;Stagg & Vincent, 2019;Walsh et al, 2018). We currently have no validated means of measuring nonbinary gender experiences in autism, and there is limited information on nonbinary autistic individuals' gender-related needs, experiences or mental health.…”

Autism trait prevalence in treatment seeking adolescents and adults attending specialist gender services

“…Other explanations include association between social impairment, stress, and sexual minority status [18]; developmental problems related to childhood maltreatment and trauma and body image [35]. Additionally, Walsh et al [36] suggest that the relationship between autistic resistance to social conditioning, rejection of cisgenderist (opposite to transgenderist) norms in combination with below-typical concern of social norms could explain elevated rates of trans identity.…”

“Masculine” Describes Gender Expressions, Not Neurobiologies: Response to Dutton and Madison (2020)

“…Finally, therefore, the suggestion that trans people are "masculinised" based on the overlap with autism is no more valid than another of the authors' assertions that a 2% difference in the rate of left-handedness between the sexes renders handedness a meaningful correlate of sex. A more parsimonious proposition is that autistic people are more likely to identify as trans due to differences in perception and cognition leading to a reduction in the likelihood that social conditioning will prevent them from becoming aware of their gender identity when it differs from the gender assigned to them at birth (Jackson-Perry, 2020;Walsh, Krabbendam, Dewinter, & Begeer, 2018).…”