“I THINK HAVING ASPERGER’S HELPED ME WITH MY TRANSGENDER IDENTITY”: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF YOUTH WITH GENDER DIVERSE IDENTITIES AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

With a growing body of research suggesting the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and gender variance (GV), only a handful of published studies have investigated the perspectives and experiences of GV youth with ASD. Current clinical care guidelines for this population have generally been obtained through expert knowledge and fail to consider the contribution and perspectives of key stakeholders with an insider perspective such as youth and their caregivers. As such, a semi-structured focus-group and interview were conducted to explore the experiences and perspectives of four GV youth with ASD. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes. The key themes identified were: 1) a clear understanding of their gender identity and related needs 2) significant perceived stigma related to their ASD diagnosis, 3) recognition of how ASD identity and gender identity intersect and impact one another, 4) complexities of medical systems can be challenging to navigate for youth with ASD, so a comprehensive team approach to services is important. This study seeks to increase our understanding of this population and contribute to improving the quality of clinical services for this transgender youth with ASD.