Autism in adulthoodOct 7, 2024

People with Autism and Gender Diversity Share Their Adult Experiences

Updated Jan 1, 2026

Abstract

Twelve transgender or gender-expansive autistic individuals shared their experiences through interviews and surveys.

Three main themes emerged from the analysis: navigating a gender journey, the impact of social context on self, and provision of health care.
Participants described unique challenges related to their gender identity in the context of being autistic.
Social environments were reported to significantly influence participants' self-perception and experiences of gender.
Health care accessibility and quality were identified as critical factors affecting the well-being of transgender and gender-expansive autistic individuals.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: Autistic people are more likely to report gender dysphoric traits, and transgender and gender-expansive individuals frequently report higher scores on self-report measures of autistic traits. Despite the clear association between autism and gender diversity, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring the lived experiences of autistic adults.

METHODS: This study contributes to the evidence base by exploring the strengths and challenges of the intersectional experiences of autism and gender diversity in adulthood. Twelve transgender/gender-expansive autistic people participated in an online semi-structured interview or an open-ended survey, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: (1) Navigating a gender journey, (2) The impact of social context on self, and (3) Provision of health care.

CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the unique experiences of being both an autistic and transgender/gender-expansive person to further understand the intersection between autism and gender diversity.

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