Gender Identity Issues Linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders & ADHD

[JessicaH]

Children and teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more likely to express a wish to be the opposite sex compared with their typically developing peers, new research shows. But at least 1 expert is sceptical.

The single-center study showed that compared with normally developing children, young people with ASD were nearly 8 times more likely to express a desire to be other than their biological sex — a phenomenon the authors describe as "gender variance." Those with a diagnosis of ADHD had more than 6 times the odds of communicating gender variance, according to parent-reported data.

"Doctors, whether general care or specialists in autism or gender identity, should be aware that a co-occurrence of these conditions is not uncommon," John Strang, PsyD, the study's lead author and a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, told Medscape Medical News.

These findings, said Dr. Strang, confirm previous research suggesting that autism is overrepresented among children referred for management of gender identity disorder and gender dysphoria.
   ***CONTINUE READING ***
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/822077
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-014-0285-3

[Eva Marie]

My gender therapist tells me that gender variance and ADD pretty much go hand in hand, and she was the one that diagnosed me with ADD. I apparently had ADD as a child but it went undiagnosed because we didn't know what that was back then. Each morning I take my ADD medicine to help me function during the day.

Most of the trans people I know have ADD.

[Eris]

I was tested for ADD as a child but they ruled it out.

[ZoeM]

Mine is manageable but I do seem prone to attention issues.

Which kinda pokes this back towards the 'mental issue' side of things, I guess. 

[Sammy]

I had ADHD (mostly hyperactivity part of it), but IIRC, it manifested itself after gender issues got buried deep inside. Funny, but my neuropathologist was unable to deal with manifestations of ADHD no matter what she tried.

[Padma]

People born with ASD are less likely to buy into the gender stereotypes in their culture (including the binariness of those stereotypes) and are therefore more likely to question their gender identity. I suspect it's not so much that people with ASD etc. are more likely to be gender-variant, so much as that they're more likely to be aware of it, and earlier in life.

[blink]

I was diagnosed as an adult with ADHD. Interestingly, since surgery and time on HRT, my ADHD symptoms have noticeably improved. I hadn't expected it, but it makes sense. Stress can make ADHD symptoms worse, and it would be an understatement to say I was "more stressed" before.

I wonder how many trans folks diagnosed with ADHD would have lessened attention deficit symptoms with treatment to decrease dysphoria.

[Vicky]

People are pretty much amazed when I tell them that my attention span is severely limited, which from time to time I have to do.  I can recycle (as I call it) and "rejoin" a time consuming activity through a self discipline system I have learned to use, but I can feel the breaks in things, and for some things such as writing even this post have to go back and re-read what I have written to keep track of what I am writing at all.  I have found that on my HRT, that I can keep myself more focused, longer on a number of things with less effort.  I have not seen that studied so far, but it would be interesting.

[Olivia P]

People born with ASD are less likely to buy into the gender stereotypes in their culture (including the binariness of those stereotypes) and are therefore more likely to question their gender identity. I suspect it's not so much that people with ASD etc. are more likely to be gender-variant, so much as that they're more likely to be aware of it, and earlier in life.

I too wonder if it is that, more likely to admit it than other people, considering that discrimination and such is still very common its rather hard to get a true number of how likely people are to question their gender

[Sydney_NYC]

I have Aspergers which is in the same Autism spectrum and my therapist had also told me that a higher percentage of those in that spectrum are also transgender compared to the general population. (And also more intelligent on average.)

[BunnyBee]

For me, autism no, adhd yes.  Not the hyperactive kind tho, the kind that makes you overwhelmed and quiet if anything.  I'm less quiet nowadays, but still def not hyperactive.

[Jill F]

Squirrel!

[suzifrommd]

As a kid, I was medicated for 6 years for ADHD.

[bunnymom]

Squirrel!

Exactly!
My daughter had severe difficulties with ADHD and was 'suspected' to have Aspergers.  She also had sporadic ODD ( oppositional defiant. .. oh look a chicken!

[Nicodeme]

Huh. I was diagnosed about twelve years ago with ADHD-Primarily Inattentive. Though back then they just called that ADD.

Now trying to figure out my gender feels has become both more simple and more confusing.

[BunnyBee]

Huh. I was diagnosed about twelve years ago with ADHD-Primarily Inattentive. Though back then they just called that ADD.

Now trying to figure out my gender feels has become both more simple and more confusing.

As a child I was diagnosed as "lazy."   Lol.  I figured out it was ADD as an adult, and yes, inattentive I think was/is my kind too.  I am able to like, idk, function? now that it's being treated.

[Miharu Barbie]

Well.....  Maybe I'm just an anomaly.  I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything resembling ODD, ASD, ADD, ADHD, Asperger's or Autism.  (Though I hear that squirrel are mighty good eating.)  I just am, and always have been, a run-of-the-mill, garden variety trans woman.

Though I do have OPPS (obsessive pool player's syndrome.)

[HoneyStrums]

Interesting....

ADD hmmmm..... now to self diagnostic my self in comparison to my two friends with ADD. I'm also currently diagnosed with "Lazy"

[JessicaH]

I have add too. I'm well known with friends and coworkers for being creative and intelligent but I'm not the kind of person you can expect stay focused on repetitive tasks or something I don't find interesting. Luckily, my job requires a very broad range of tasks and responsibilities and is always changing. I travel a lot, deal with new and unfamiliar things and figure out a lot of things on the fly. I DO struggle with finishing some very complex tasks often like pricing proposals/ bids that have lots of fuzzy variables, assumptions or general vagueness. These may run tens or hundreds of millions ($USD) and a miscalculation could be disastrous. Drives me nuts and I end up procrastinating.

[alabamagirl]

I have neither, as far as I'm aware. Add another thing to the list that makes me odd, I guess.