On the overlap between autism and gender dysphoria
There is a fascinating co-occurence between gender dysphoria and autism. This does not mean that all autistic people are gender variant, or that all transgender people are autistic. It simply means that autistic people are more likely to be trans than people in general.
We do not know why this is so.
This article presents the lives of transgender autistic people and the special challenges they are facing.
Deborah Rudacille writes:
Between 8 and 10 percent of children and adolescents seen at gender clinics around the world meet the diagnostic criteria for autism, according to studies carried out over the past five years, while roughly 20 percent have autism traits such as impaired social and communication skills or intense focus and attention to detail.
However, I should add that gender variance may cause shyness and social isolation, i.e. behavior that may be interpreted as autism, but which actually isn’t.
Autism, including Asperger, does not in any way make a transgender identity less real or invalid.