I’m excited to finally be able to share a paper I have been working on with Harley Bruce and Steven Kapp entitled:

Exploring the experiences of Autistic transgender and non-binary adults in seeking gender identity healthcare.

Harley spoke to 17 Autistic trans and / or non-binary people from across the globe to better understand the barriers in accessing gender identity healthcare. Recommendations were made by participants which we hope to share in a peer-reviewed journal in Spring.

It has been an honor to read the feedback from these participants and be a very small part of their story. Thanks to all the wonderful people who shared their experiences. Your contribution is greatly appreciated and will hopefully form an amazing basis for further work in this area.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of autistic transgender and/or non-binary adults’ experiences in accessing, or trying to access, gender identity healthcare (GIH). A semi-structured interview was used to obtain first-hand experiences of 17 participants. Thematic analysis determined that patient-level, provider-level, and system-level factors impacted on participants’ experiences when accessing GIH. Patient-level factors included sensory sensitivities, disruption to routine and lack of local provision. Provider-level factors included fear of gatekeeping treatment, perceived professional knowledge around autism and transgender/non-binary healthcare needs, limited communication methods, lack of accommodations and misdiagnosed mental health difficulties. System-level factors included unclear processes, standardisation of care, long waiting lists, and the impact of insurance. Recommendations for improvements were also obtained from participants, which highlighted the need to listen to service users to positively impact their experiences in accessing GIH.

This research paper was written with Harley Bruce and Steven Kapp and can be found for free here:

https://psyarxiv.com/5q8yw/