Thread by @TaniaAMarshall

#Genderdysphoria & FASD short thread 🧵 #FASD is a brain-based disability, caused by alcohol. It is known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It is a ‘Spectrum’ & often not visible physically. It often co-exists with #autism #adhd #aspergers #LD & remains largely under diagnosed

In #Australia, alcohol is part of the culture & part of life. It is a BIG problem. Mothers are cautioned largely not to drink & the fathers role is largely ignored, not realising their own addictions affect the foetus. Many children & teens have FASD Spectrum & they don’t know it

Nor do their parents. If the parents do know, there can be much guilt, denial, shame & lack of support. Many children with FASD are underdiagnosed or MISdiagnosed. There are a group of children/ teens with #FASD & #genderdysphoria (with or without #autism) #psychology

When I say #Autism I refer to Autism+. Children grow up to be adults with FASD. #FASD places a child at significant risk & vulnerability in the world. They should be safeguarded but they are not, nor do they receive appropriate diagnoses #DisabilityTwitter #alcohol #brain

Their #FASD makes them ‘feel different’. For those that are gender non-conforming, they cannot understand 1. in what way they are different 2. find words to describe how they ‘feel’. Due to the way their #brains are wired, they may not comprehend #emotions & may have Alexythymia

#Alexythymia is the inability to label & describe how one is feeling, which words to use & the inability to distinguish between degrees of delight & distress. There is more to this, but this will suffice. For those with Alexythymia, there is NO ‘feeling’ of a ‘gender’.

That is a blatant #lie They don’t know how they ‘feel’. They will say “I don’t know”. They have to be taught the words, the language. the meanings of the words to express the different ‘degrees’ of how they feel/emotions. It is harmful to tell them how they should ‘feel’

assume they can describe their feelings.
Alcohol floods a child’s system whilst in the womb damaging parts of the brain that influences hormones, gender identity & how they understand #gender FASD is under researched & the intersection of #FASD & #gender is poor, at best.

Not assessing children for neurodevelopmental disorders is unethical, harmful & a medical scandal. No amount of Puberty blockers, cross sex hormones or surgery can treat these issues. Childhood developmental stages exist. The developmental stages in #FASD #autism #aspergers

Are different. There is no way these children understand & comprehend the nuances represented by #gender ideology. The concept of different pronouns is nearly impossible for them to understand. #autistic children are well known to struggle with their personal pronouns. often

Mixing them up. This is why they come into clinics with a ‘script’ from the Internet. They cannot use their own words, feelings, say what they want to say (language). The impact of FASD also means they have challenges with cause & effect & consequences. These children’s emotional

& social age is ‘spikey’ & can be half their developmental age. Many adults also have this profile. They have theory of mind/context blindness & are not developmentally able to understand that different people experience the world/think & feel differently than they do. #thoughts

They do not have the same concept of what it means to be ‘a boy’ or ‘a girl’ that others have. Today #puberty often starts at 8-10 physically, but the social/emotional aspect is well behind their age, over their lifetime. They may be viewed as ‘immature’. #laggingskills

To ‘adulterize’ children is to expect from them what they are not capable of giving, doing or achieving, due to lagging skills, #childhood developmental stage, a neurodevelopmental disorder, the immature prefrontal cortex &/or trauma. It is #childabuse, unethical & harmful