@inproceedings{01H8S6QCZ3EKHXND2BDX5BQYDA,
  abstract     = {{Background - A higher prevalence of neurodiversity exists amongst people who seek gender affirmative care. While there have been several studies investigating the increased prevalence of transgender identities in autistic people, there have been fewer attempts to understand the inner experiences of this group. This qualitative study explored how neurodiverse adults experience their gender identity and their coming to understand and address their gender ( gender dysphoria (GD) or in some cases gender euphoria) and their experiences with  gender services in Flanders (Belgium).
Method –  A convenience sample was recruited by distributing flyers on social media platforms for trans- and genderdiverse people. Ethical approval for this study was requested and obtained from
the Ethics Committee at the Ghent University Hospital (BC – 10398; BC-10483). Inclusion criteria were: (1) age of majority; (2) an official diagnosis of autism; (3) experience a form of gender diversity, gender incongruence or gender dysphoria and (4) living in Flanders. Ten adults with autism and GD undertook semi-structured interviews. Another seven adults with autism and GD were interviewed regarding their experiences with gender affirming care. Data were collected in the computer software package NVivo and analysed using the Thematic Analyse Approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Results and Discussion – Regarding the intersection between gender- and neurodiversity three main topics were found: (1) the sense of being different in comparison to neurotypical, cisgender people, (2) interpersonal aspects, namely dealing with the sense of difference due to having two stigmatized identities and (3) the evident need for experiental knowledge. Regarding the experiences of gender- and neurodiverse people with gender affirming care, three main topics emerged: (1) barriers to care, (2) the fear of disbelief and the fear of not being able to be authentic  and (3) the need for autism adaptations within gender affirmative care.
This qualitative study helps to understand the lived experiences of gender- and neurodiverse individuals and their needs to be validated towards the authenticity of their feelings. Regarding gender affirmative care, healthcare workers should be more educated on the (gender)experiences of neurodiverse people and healthcare strategies that are friendly towards neurodiverse individuals (e.g. communication, adaptations to care facilities) so that they experience less barriers and fear upon entering gender affirmative care.}},
  author       = {{Dhoore, Tineke and Elaut, Els and Christiaens, Ayla and Van Cauwenberg, Gaia}},
  booktitle    = {{5th EPATH Conference, Abstracts}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Killarney, Ireland}},
  title        = {{How neurodiverse adults experience their gender and gender affirmative care : a qualitative study}},
  url          = {{https://epath.eu/2023-conference/programme/}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}