Autism and Gender

[dinoduck]

(I am using the word female since autism is presented differently in girls that have girl parts and brains vs boys that have boy parts and brains)

I have "female" Aspergers (a form of Autism). This means I have traits generally found in female people with Aspergers. Would this type of thing make me not a boy?

[VickySGV]

Even with any of the forms of AS conditions, none of them make you one gender or the other without other things being present.  It is possible you have a form of Intersex physiology that has not yet been diagnosed if you have something exclusively found in people with certain genetics, but that will take a genetic analysis that your doctor must order.  Do you feel female as opposed to male?  If you were Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB) then your "female Asperger's" simply affirms that your AFAB birth decision.  You sound though like you were Assigned Male at Birth in your last sentence, and in that case and so you could be Trans or Intersex, but you are the one to decide if you feel like a girl against your AMAB assignment.  If you feel you need to live as one gender or the other it is your decision since your AS condition does not MAKE you either even if it appears in a more "female" type.   I doubt that is really what you wanted to hear, but it is time for you to find out who your are with good counseling.

[Debra]

Just now, dinoduck said:

(I am using the word female since autism is presented differently in girls that have girl parts and brains vs boys that have boy parts and brains)

I have "female" Aspergers (a form of Autism). This means I have traits generally found in female people with Aspergers. Would this type of thing make me not a boy?

No, although Aspergers is a high order version of Autism, there are quite a few ways that it can potentially manifest itself, there are some crossover characteristics though that are the same. Just to be honest, I wouldn’t worry about the ways that it manifests itself as much as I would trying to relax and just realize that it is a part of your life. Relaxing will reduce stress and that is one of the best things you can do for this affliction. I know it is hard but finding a different focal point would be a huge benefit... Just my 2 cents

[MadisonJoan]

I am autistic, too.  I wonder if there is a correlation between autism and gender dysphoria.

[VickySGV]

31 minutes ago, MadisonJoan said:

I wonder if there is a correlation between autism and gender dysphoria.

 

For the several years I have been following this type of subject, AS has been coming up and while suspected correlations have been investigated and found to be almost universally inconclusive.  At the minute it stands with AS people have Gender Dysphoria, and non-AS people have it as well.  I have friends who have Asperger's Syndrome and the one thing different in them is that they reach a personal decision on transitioning much more easily and do not have the wavering uncertainty that non-Asperger's Trans people do.  I have two conditions myself that are also being investigated for correlation and while they too come up (so far) as inconclusive, something comes along to re-open the investigation.,  It is most likely that GD comes from a combination of sources and not a single one.

[Roadster]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 6:27 PM, dinoduck said:

I have "female" Aspergers (a form of Autism). This means I have traits generally found in female people with Aspergers. Would this type of thing make me not a boy?

 

One thing I can add to this discussion, as a biologist - there are very few things in this world that are biological that are exclusive, if that makes any sense.  Because something is generally seen in females with Aspergers does not mean it's not also found in males.  Just as, although generally men are taller than women, you'll find many individual women who are very tall, and many individual men who are very short.  And although lupus is predominantly a disease of women, there are plenty of men who have it.  Etc.  I wouldn't get too hung up on that one datum, and instead look at the whole gestalt.

[MadisonJoan]

That's what I've been wondering.

[DeeDee]

Dinoduck Vicky is right the two things are unrelated.  My son was diagnosed with autism at 2.5 and my daughter was diagnosed aged 10 - yesterday.

 

Girls tend to be harder to diagnose by the traditional models because they are better at social masking (something I am willing to bet everyone here has learnt to do well for most of their lives) but the checklists are the same, prolonged observation of physical, social and emotional communication and interaction. It is a spectrum because there is no one set way to have Autism, just recognised gender stereotypical behaviours.

 

I've read a few articles and blogs on this subject too recently. Evidence is more anecdotal, there have been no serious scientific case studies that I know of, IMHO believe the theory exists due to the self awareness of being "different" from ones peers, an awareness which both my children have albeit for different reasons - this being different then prompts the research into and recognition of a gender dysphoria which was already there but not named.