Ingudomnukul, E., Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., & Knickmeyer, R. (2007). Elevated Rates of Testosterone-Related Disorders in Women With Autism Spectrum Conditions. Hormones and Behavior 51, Pages 597–604.
This article looks into the Androgen theory of Autism that stipulates that higher than average levels of testosterone in utero contribute to an autistic birth. The findings were that significantly more women with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) reported hirsutism, bisexuality or asexuality, irregular menstrual cycle and dysmenorrhea [likely due to PCOS], severe acne, Gender Non-Conformity (GNC), and “family history of ovarian, uterine, and prostate cancers, tumors, or growths”. Mothers of ACS children reported severe acne, breast and/or uterine cancer, tumors, or growths, and the same family history of cancer that ASC girls reported. These findings may help explain the greater incidence of autism in boys, but more research needs to be done to determine correlation versus causality.
Janssen, A., Huang, H., & Duncan, C. (2016). Gender Variance Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Review Transgender Health Volume 1.1. Pages 63.69.
This article delves into the biologically-based co-occurrence of Gender Variance (GV) and Gender Dysphoria (GD) among autistic youth. Autistic youth in this study were 7.76 times more likely to report gender variance than neurotypical youth. This research suggests that autism may be neurologically linked to gender variance. The study recommends screening ASD youth for GV and GV youth for ASD because of the extremely high rate of co-occurrence. “Facilitating our patients’ experience and understanding of their gender identity and expression may be an important focus in treating clients with ASDs who also present with GV.”
Keenan, M., Dillenburger, K., Moderato, P., & Röttgers, H.-R. (2010). Science for Sale in a Free Market Economy: But at What Price? Aba and the Treatment of Autism in Europe. Behavior & Social Issues, 19(1), Pages 126–143.
The high cost of ABA and long-term Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) often resulting in adults who went through ABA as children.
Kirkham, P. (2017). “The line between intervention and abuse’’ - autism and applied behaviour analysis.” History of the Human Sciences, 30(2), Pages 107–126.
This article discusses when therapists using ABA with Autistic clients cross lines into abusive conduct with their clients.
Mahfouda, S., Panos, C., Whitehouse, A.J.O., Thomas, C.S., Maybery, M., Strauss, P., Zepf, F.D., O’Donovan, A., van Hall, H-W., Saunders, L.A., Moore, J.K., Lin, A. (2019). Mental Health Correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Gender Diverse Young People: Evidence from a Specialised Child and Adolescent Gender Clinic in Australia. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8, 1503.
This article discussed the overrepresentation of ASD among gender diverse children and adolescents and looks into mental health issues of gender diverse autistic youth compared to non-autistic gender diverse youth. About 1/3rd of the gender diverse youth in the study also qualified as autistic, and those who were autistic also tended to have more unhealthy internalizing mechanisms like anxiety, depression, withdraw, somatic complaints, and cognitive thought problems. These students also had much lower quality of life outcomes. This research suggests that this group is an especially vulnerable at much higher rates of mental health difficulties. This study suggested screening for autism when working with gender diverse youth to be able to work on some of the more damaging internalizing disorders affecting mental health.
Shah, D., & Bobade, S. (2018). Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Autism. Journal of Psychosocial Research Vol. 13, No. 2, Pages 435-442.
This article notes the increased chance of children being born with Autism when the mother has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Mothers with PCOS often have increased testosterone, which may be causal in Autism. This was a limited study of mothers whose children were previously diagnosed Autistic. Among the sample size, 11.76% of the Autistic children had mothers with PCOS.
Stagg, S., & Belcher, H. (2019). Living with autism without knowing: receiving a diagnosis in later life. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 7:1. Pages 348-361.
The damaging effect of not receiving an autism diagnosis until later in life.
This article looks into the Androgen theory of Autism that stipulates that higher than average levels of testosterone in utero contribute to an autistic birth. The findings were that significantly more women with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) reported hirsutism, bisexuality or asexuality, irregular menstrual cycle and dysmenorrhea [likely due to PCOS], severe acne, Gender Non-Conformity (GNC), and “family history of ovarian, uterine, and prostate cancers, tumors, or growths”. Mothers of ACS children reported severe acne, breast and/or uterine cancer, tumors, or growths, and the same family history of cancer that ASC girls reported. These findings may help explain the greater incidence of autism in boys, but more research needs to be done to determine correlation versus causality.
Janssen, A., Huang, H., & Duncan, C. (2016). Gender Variance Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Review Transgender Health Volume 1.1. Pages 63.69.
This article delves into the biologically-based co-occurrence of Gender Variance (GV) and Gender Dysphoria (GD) among autistic youth. Autistic youth in this study were 7.76 times more likely to report gender variance than neurotypical youth. This research suggests that autism may be neurologically linked to gender variance. The study recommends screening ASD youth for GV and GV youth for ASD because of the extremely high rate of co-occurrence. “Facilitating our patients’ experience and understanding of their gender identity and expression may be an important focus in treating clients with ASDs who also present with GV.”
Keenan, M., Dillenburger, K., Moderato, P., & Röttgers, H.-R. (2010). Science for Sale in a Free Market Economy: But at What Price? Aba and the Treatment of Autism in Europe. Behavior & Social Issues, 19(1), Pages 126–143.
The high cost of ABA and long-term Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) often resulting in adults who went through ABA as children.
Kirkham, P. (2017). “The line between intervention and abuse’’ - autism and applied behaviour analysis.” History of the Human Sciences, 30(2), Pages 107–126.
This article discusses when therapists using ABA with Autistic clients cross lines into abusive conduct with their clients.
Mahfouda, S., Panos, C., Whitehouse, A.J.O., Thomas, C.S., Maybery, M., Strauss, P., Zepf, F.D., O’Donovan, A., van Hall, H-W., Saunders, L.A., Moore, J.K., Lin, A. (2019). Mental Health Correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Gender Diverse Young People: Evidence from a Specialised Child and Adolescent Gender Clinic in Australia. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8, 1503.
This article discussed the overrepresentation of ASD among gender diverse children and adolescents and looks into mental health issues of gender diverse autistic youth compared to non-autistic gender diverse youth. About 1/3rd of the gender diverse youth in the study also qualified as autistic, and those who were autistic also tended to have more unhealthy internalizing mechanisms like anxiety, depression, withdraw, somatic complaints, and cognitive thought problems. These students also had much lower quality of life outcomes. This research suggests that this group is an especially vulnerable at much higher rates of mental health difficulties. This study suggested screening for autism when working with gender diverse youth to be able to work on some of the more damaging internalizing disorders affecting mental health.
Shah, D., & Bobade, S. (2018). Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Autism. Journal of Psychosocial Research Vol. 13, No. 2, Pages 435-442.
This article notes the increased chance of children being born with Autism when the mother has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Mothers with PCOS often have increased testosterone, which may be causal in Autism. This was a limited study of mothers whose children were previously diagnosed Autistic. Among the sample size, 11.76% of the Autistic children had mothers with PCOS.
Stagg, S., & Belcher, H. (2019). Living with autism without knowing: receiving a diagnosis in later life. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 7:1. Pages 348-361.
The damaging effect of not receiving an autism diagnosis until later in life.