Theories on the Link Between Autism Spectrum Conditions and Trans Gender Modality: a Systematic Review

Luna L. Wattel; Reubs J. Walsh; Lydia Krabbendam

doi:10.1007/s40489-022-00338-2

Theories on the Link Between Autism Spectrum Conditions and Trans Gender Modality: a Systematic Review

Luna L. Wattel^*, Reubs J. Walsh, Lydia Krabbendam

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

While research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirical support. Unlikely and promising theories were identified. The most promising theories were those on resistance to social norms and weakened sex differences. Future directions are provided.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	275-295
Number of pages	21
Journal	Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume	11
Issue number	2
Early online date	19 Aug 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00338-2
Publication status	Published - Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

Autism spectrum conditions
Autism spectrum disorder
Co-occurrence
Gender dysphoria
Trans gender modality

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10.1007/s40489-022-00338-2

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title = "Theories on the Link Between Autism Spectrum Conditions and Trans Gender Modality: a Systematic Review",

abstract = "While research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirical support. Unlikely and promising theories were identified. The most promising theories were those on resistance to social norms and weakened sex differences. Future directions are provided.",

keywords = "Autism spectrum conditions, Autism spectrum disorder, Co-occurrence, Gender dysphoria, Trans gender modality",

author = "Wattel, {Luna L.} and Walsh, {Reubs J.} and Lydia Krabbendam",

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T2 - a Systematic Review

AU - Wattel, Luna L.

AU - Walsh, Reubs J.

AU - Krabbendam, Lydia

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2024/6

Y1 - 2024/6

N2 - While research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirical support. Unlikely and promising theories were identified. The most promising theories were those on resistance to social norms and weakened sex differences. Future directions are provided.

AB - While research on the prevalence of co-occurring autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and trans gender modality (TGM) is available, less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Insight is needed to improve treatment of trans autistic people. This review provides an overview of theories on the ASC-TGM link and the available evidence for/against them published between January 2016 and October 2020. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. This resulted in 36 studies, in which 15 theories were identified. Results indicate all theories lack substantial empirical support. Unlikely and promising theories were identified. The most promising theories were those on resistance to social norms and weakened sex differences. Future directions are provided.

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KW - Co-occurrence

KW - Gender dysphoria

KW - Trans gender modality

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Theories on the Link Between Autism Spectrum Conditions and Trans Gender Modality: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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