Thread by @JaneyPlanet

Long 🧵about this ⬇️and about #Autism. Something too many charities, activists & celebrities have been quick to ignore in favour of promoting the 'if they say they are, they are' narrative. It really isn't that simple. @genspect @BayswaterSG @Glinner @LuxuryMoon @RooneyRachel 1/

https://twitter.com/Transgendertrd/status/1665120740264271872

Many detransitioners realised that autism may explain their gender dysphoria. 2021 research by Elie Vandenbussche showed 54% of detransitioners have at least 3 co-morbid conditions with the 3 biggest: Depression, Anxiety Disorders & PTSD. 20% had an ASD Dx & 28% suspected.

ASD detransitioner Elizabeth Hawker suggested 'we are witnessing a new wave of common misdiagnosis of #Autisticgirls emerging; Gender Dysphoria' Tony Attwood says 'many girls...with Asperger's Syndrome have described...how they think they have a male rather than female brain' 3/

Social isolation & loneliness can make the offer of a 'rainbow family' seem hugely attractive. An instant online community where their emotional responses, communication & social difficulties are affirmed as Gender Identity & anyone unsupportive is decried as a Transphobe. 4/

Social Media & the internet create a feedback loop where #Autistic young people become hyper-focused on researching their gender identity, drawn in by endless categorisation: charts of flags, lists of genders & endless pronouns which reinforce their belief that they are trans 5/

Autistic children & young people are particularly vulnerable in not always being able to spot lies or duplicitous behaviour. The trans identity gives young people a sense of being special but also vulnerable, hated, feared and oppressed. 6/

This sense of oppression may solidify the idea that they *must transition, or become suicidal. ASD writer Lucy Kross Wallace wrote about becoming immersed in the ASD social justice advocacy, where life became split into binaries of good or evil, victim or oppressor 7/

She wrote about becoming less and less objective and obsessed with perceived injustices. For autistic young people, finding this sense of purpose can be a very powerful thing. 8/

Dr Christopher Gillberg conducted research into neurodevelopmental conditions & believes many ASD adults are misdiagnosed with personality disorders. Of 1019 autistic adults (50% were women) 63% of women and 37% of men had a prior diagnosis of mood or personality disorders. 9/

Further research at the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre in Sweden found children with neurodevelopmental disorders are more likely to experience Adverse Childhood Events. In addition, simply navigating daily transitions & sensory input can be experienced as traumatic 10/

Low levels of interoception (the ability to decode messages inside from the body) & alexythymia can leave autistic children profoundly disconnected from their body. ASD girls find the deep sensory pressure of a Binder relieves stress & confuse it with relief from dysphoria 11/

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is an anxiety based disorder. It is possible that ASD children may be 'misreading' BDD as gender dysphoria. Twin studies showed that of 6968 15 yr olds, girls with BDD were 5 times more likely to have autistic characteristics than peers without BDD 12/

Trans OCD is a recognised anxiety disorder, where sufferers question if they are trans as a repetitive intrusive thought. There is a strong correlation between ASD & anxiety disorders & it may be difficult to ascertain if the thought & neutralising actions are OCD or stimming 13/

Identity formation can be difficult for ASD children as they can struggle to find peer groups. Ready-made identities can appeal but will rarely stick long-term as they are not true reflections of the child. Non-binary fits this profile as it makes sense of GNC behaviour. 14/

Tony Attwood notes that autistic girls can identify with celebrities or 'someone socially successful & popular' allowing her to become someone else following a social script. Currently, Trans identities carry much greater social currency in schools than being autistic. 15/

Autism is often viewed through a deficit model so the construction of an autistic identity can often revolve around feeling 'less-than'. Social rules and non-verbal communication complicate this, with masking sometimes hindering the development of an authentic identity. 16/

An inability to aquire implicit learning about behavioural expectations & gender norms can lead to feeling 'other'. ASD children model understanding of the world on the information around them; They are taught in school that hating their body/puberty may mean they're trans 17/

Social Communication can cause ASD children to be unresponsive to talking therapies. They may struggle with auditory processing, naming their emotions or may say what they think the therapist wants to hear. They may have a delay in processing questions or formulating answers 18/

Autistic children may struggle to respond to talking therapy if they have a limited emotional vocabulary due to alexythymia. They may be exceptionally intelligent while struggling to understand the long term consequences of their actions. 19/

Models of informed consent are not tailored to ASD processing styles and may fail to take into account the variance in cognition, communication & theory of mind. An assumption of shared understanding of the effects, both short & long term, of transition, would be a mistake 20/

The long gaps between appointments at GIDS may hinder the ability to form a robust therapeutic attachment which is necessary to properly understand why autistic children are gender dysphoric, as they may see the relationship as transient. 21/

Dysphoric ASD children & young people have differing profiles so not all of these points are applicable to all. Enough are relevant to ensure that GIDS and it's replacement it MUST take autism seriously. For more info see my report for @Transgendertrd transgendertrend.com/product/autism… END