Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses, and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals

2020/08/07 by Varun Warrier, David M. Greenberg, Elizabeth Weir +5 · 10 citations
Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research #Child Development and Digital Technology #Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17794-1

openalex publication_date 2020/08/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

It is unclear whether transgender and gender-diverse individuals have elevated rates of autism diagnosis or traits related to autism compared to cisgender individuals in large non-clinic-based cohorts. To investigate this, we use five independently recruited cross-sectional datasets consisting of 641,860 individuals who completed information on gender, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses including autism, and measures of traits related to autism (self-report measures of autistic traits, empathy, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity). Compared to cisgender individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals have, on average, higher rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses. For both autistic and non-autistic individuals, transgender and gender-diverse individuals score, on average, higher on self-report measures of autistic traits, systemizing, and sensory sensitivity, and, on average, lower on self-report measures of empathy. The results may have clinical implications for improving access to mental health care and tailoring adequate support for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

Citations

• Increased Gender Variance in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism, Males and Females, Scientists and Mathematicians
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Cited by

• Transgender and gender diverse autistic adults’ experiences of (un)belonging
• “I Don’t Really Belong Anywhere”: A Thematic Analysis of the Experiences of Japanese Autistic Gender-Diverse Adults
• Eating and exercise experiences of Australian trans and gender diverse folks: Lived experience and stakeholder perspectives
• “I Don't Understand Their Sense of Belonging”: Exploring How Nonbinary Autistic Adults Experience Gender
• Centering the Inner Experience of Autism: Development of the Self-Assessment of Autistic Traits
• Autism and Gender Identity: Social, Cognitive, and Behavioral Profiles in a Self-Identified Sample
• Essays on Household Behavior and Time-Use
• Commentary: Interpreting diagnostic data on autism and gender dysphoria: clinical and research implications – a commentary on Sanders et al. (2025)
• Portable Silent Room: Exploring VR Design for Anxiety and Emotion Regulation for Neurodivergent Women and Non-Binary Individuals
• Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism and LGBTQ people [wikipedia]

Related

• Autism and transgender identity: Implications for depression and anxiety
• Commentary: Interpreting diagnostic data on autism and gender dysphoria: clinical and research implications – a commentary on Sanders et al. (2025)
• Is It Autism? A Critical Commentary on the Co-Occurrence of Gender Dysphoria and Autism Spectrum Disorder
• “Tuned into a different channel”: Autistic transgender adults’ experiences of intersectional stigma.
• Epidemiological considerations in transgender health: A systematic review with focus on higher quality data