Identity within autism

I was doing some searching on autistic language and I happened upon this:

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/52787

The Clinical Gestalts of Autism: Over 40 years of Clinical Experience with Autism

This point in particular caught my attention:

'Identity diffusion is central to autism, and this will include their sexual and other identities. This is probably due to the neural connectivity problems in the brain [9]. Contradictory identities can exist side by side in their mind. They can switch to another and opposite identity very rapidly. This can be confused with so-called multiple personalities. This identity diffusion can cause stress in making decisions and in employment, and despite intelligence and good education, they may withdraw and cease to seek employment. They can confuse people with these contradictory identities. They do not have a clear sense of themselves and people find it difficult to understand them. This makes it very difficult for them to have a clear sense of other people. This increases interpersonal stress. They are often mistaken for the opposite sex and come across as being androgynous. Males can appear to have a soft female facies and females with a somewhat harder male facies. They may dress more like the opposite sex, which always causes confusion and shows signs of gender dysphoria. A small number will have transgender problems. Sometimes they feel unreal and de-personalised as living in a film and having an “as if” personality. Older adolescents with autism or Asperger’s syndrome often appear to be “asexual”. This can be very deceptive as the very same people can get involved in perverse, dangerous sexual activities'.

Parents
  • In presence of other female colleagues I always had some kind of interest in them, but never competing in terms of attractiveness, make up, clothes, popularity, etc. I was always frustrated that I’m expected to be like them and socialise like them when I couldn’t. At some point I thought it would be better if I was a man.

    Me too.

    Maybe there is something more male in me, but it’s ok. 

    I've always felt more male than female.

    There's been a conflict within me as I look very 'feminine' but that's not how I feel or how I think and sometimes I think people are surprised that I'm not like my looks (if that makes sense).

    I'm pretty sure I've read before that this 'females' feeling more 'male' is brain/autism related.

  • I was never really attracted to male interests aside from finding big, macho, muscular men very attractive but I’ve always had a passing interest in clothes, makeup, style and fashion with my female friends and would always try to steer them towards fashion choices that were timeless, elegant and classy, away from the more Avant Garde haute couture 

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  • I was never really attracted to male interests aside from finding big, macho, muscular men very attractive but I’ve always had a passing interest in clothes, makeup, style and fashion with my female friends and would always try to steer them towards fashion choices that were timeless, elegant and classy, away from the more Avant Garde haute couture 

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