Autism and Gender Dysphoria, Part 2
By Mary Smith
In Part 1 of this series, we introduced the strong link between autism and gender dysphoria, explored diagnostic challenges like masking, and examined how social factors—such as contagion, marginalised status, and the appeal of social justice causes—draw autistic youth toward trans identities. Now, in Part 2, we look at how digital technology amplifies these influences and why sensory sensitivities make the world of gender ideology particularly captivating for autistic children and young people.
Technology and Online Socialising
Another factor contributing to the explosion of gender identity ideology is society’s general addiction to electronic devices. Social media has a hold over all adolescents, but this is even more pronounced in young people with neurodiverse conditions.
Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, flags up the inherent dangers:
‘By designing a firehose of addictive content that entered through kids’ eyes and ears, and by displacing physical play and in-person socialising, these companies have rewired childhood and changed human development on an almost unimaginable scale.’
Much of the trans movement’s activity takes place online on forums such as TikTok and Discord. For an autistic child or young person, the possibility of socialising online with a group of people where there is no demand for eye contact, reading social cues, or body language, is very attractive. When kids ‘come out’ as trans, they are met with online love bombing and social validation in a way they perhaps might never have previously experienced. Lockdown, in enforcing the sole use of online communications at the expense of real-life interactions, cemented this sense of belonging to a virtual community of the oppressed for many gender questioning children.
Detractors of the current situation, known as sex realists/gender critics, argue that the social contagion is like a cult. Conversely, trans rights activists (TRAs) claim it can’t be a cult because there are no obvious leaders. However, the role of ‘influencers’ and celebrity endorsements of the ‘trans rights’ cause cannot be underestimated. Gender critics claim that these rights are no different to those guaranteed to everyone under the Human Rights Act, bar the right to access facilities reserved solely for women for reasons of safety and dignity, such as rape crisis centres, single-sex toilets, prisons and refuges for victims of domestic violence, as well as sex-differentiated sports). However you position yourself, it is undeniable that there are many groups online who exert influence on susceptible young minds. The links between the vulnerability of autistic young people to undue influence and exploitation research are considerable.
It is almost as though the interface of the world of gender with technology has been designed for kids with ADHD or autism, given the fast pace of interactions on social media forums, the soundbites, etc, the condensed information in the form of bullet-pointed lists, the bright and flashy anime cartoons.
Sensory Issues
Sensory issues play a big role in autism. The world of gender offers a sensory cornucopia for autistic children and young people. As we have seen, the rainbows and unicorns, along with brightly coloured anime images, hold great visual appeal. But texture plays its part too, for example, trans-identifying boys are often drawn to stereotypically feminine shiny and fluffy fabrics, where girls tend to opt for loose, oversized ‘boys’’ clothing. In Episode 17 of Gender, A Wider Lens, therapist Sasha Ayad speculates that, despite the psychological and physical dangers associated with them, breast binders might offer a reassuring compression for autistic girls. Bayswater addresses this theme here. Autistic people often have a preference for firm or heavy sensations, such as weighted blankets. Temple Grandin, autistic researcher and scientist, pioneered research into deep pressure and its benefits for autistic people, going on to invent the ‘Hug Machine.’ Originally designed to calm livestock, it was later developed for her own use, and subsequently adopted in educational settings with autistic clients. Occupational Therapy, with its focus on the physical as well as emotional and social needs of clients, can be very helpful for autistic children, who may be prescribed a ‘sensory diet’, tailored to their individual needs. This can involve stimulating or calming activities, to help balance sensory overwhelm, overcome lethargy and help people stay focused and organised.
Yet for the autistic child entering puberty, even these carefully curated sensory diets can feel inadequate against the overwhelming new sensations of a changing body. In Part 3 we examine how puberty, emerging sexuality, and lifelong gender nonconformity collide to make a trans identity feel like the only bearable escape.
Mary Smith is a UK writer, researcher, and parent, engaged in resisting gender ideology and its harms.
Image: Photo by Thomas Couillard on Unsplash