Transgender Individuals More Likely to be Autistic: Study

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals are much more likely to be autistic when compared to individuals who identify themselves with the sex assigned at birth.

Transgender adults and gender-diverse adults are three to six times more likely to be diagnosed as autistic compared to individuals whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth, according to a new study. //

This research, conducted using data from over 600,000 adult individuals, confirms previous smaller scale studies from clinics. The results are published in Nature Communications.

World Autism Awareness Day
World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year on 2nd April. This day is commemorated to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The theme for this year 2020 is The Transition to Adulthood.

‘Transgender and gender-diverse individuals three to six times more likely to be autistic that cisgender individuals. They are also most likely to indicate depression and autistic traits than cisgender individuals. ’
Read More..

A better understanding of gender diversity in autistic individuals will help provide better access to health care and post-diagnostic support for autistic transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

The team used five different datasets, including a dataset of over 500,000 individuals collected as a part of the Channel 4 documentary 'Are you autistic?'.

In these datasets, participants had provided information about their gender identity, and if they received a diagnosis of autism or other psychiatric conditions such as depression or schizophrenia. Participants also completed a measure of autistic traits.

Autism Risk Can Now be Predicted by Sperm Analysis
Autism risk can be accurately predicted before birth by detecting any de novo mutations in the father’s sperms. The presence of these mutations significantly increases the risk of autism in future children.

Strikingly, across all five datasets, the team found that transgender and gender-diverse adult individuals were between three and six times more likely to indicate that they were diagnosed as autistic compared to cisgender individuals.

While the study used data from adults who indicated that they had received an autism diagnosis, it is likely that many individuals on the autistic spectrum may be undiagnosed.

AI Algorithm Used to Find Causes of Autism Linked to Our �Junk� DNA
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), a team of researchers has shown that mutations in ‘junk’ DNA can cause autism. Junk DNA mutations affect the expression of genes in the brain including those genes directly responsible for neurodevelopment and neuron migration.

As around 1.1% of the UK population is estimated to be on the autistic spectrum, this result would suggest that somewhere between 3.5.-6.5% of transgender and gender-diverse adults is on the autistic spectrum.

Dr Meng-Chuan Lai, a collaborator on the study at the University of Toronto, said: "We are beginning to learn more about how the presentation of autism differs in cisgender men and women. Understanding how autism manifests in transgender and gender-diverse people will enrich our knowledge about autism in relation to gender and sex. This enables clinicians to better recognize autism and provide personalized support and health care."

Fecal Transplants Help Reduce Autism Symptoms by Half
Fecal transplants could be used to treat children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Microbiota Transfer Therapy (MTT), a type of fecal transplant is effective in improving gut health and autism symptoms in children.

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals were also more likely to indicate that they had received diagnoses of mental health conditions, particularly depression, which they were more than twice as likely as their cisgender counterparts to have experienced. Transgender and gender-diverse individuals also, on average, scored higher on measures of autistic traits compared to cisgender individuals, regardless of whether they had an autism diagnosis.

Dr Varun Warrier, who led the study, said: "This finding, using large datasets, confirms that the co-occurrence between being autistic and being transgender and gender-diverse is robust. We now need to understand the significance of this co-occurrence, and identify and address the factors that contribute to well-being of this group of people."

The study investigates the co-occurrence between gender identity and autism. The team did not investigate if one causes the other.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Center at Cambridge, and a member of the team, said: "Both autistic individuals and transgender and gender-diverse individuals are marginalized and experience multiple vulnerabilities. It is important that we safe-guard the rights of these individuals to be themselves, receive the requisite support, and enjoy equality and celebration of their differences, free of societal stigma or discrimination."

Source-Eurekalert