aspergers and gender dysmorphia

Hi - I have a 31year old son whom I think may have a mild form Aspergers but has never been diagnosed as it never entered our heads before my neice started having "problems" with her young son and he was diagnosed with autism (which made us do a lot of reading and research with her).  My son has an extremely high IQ and always been good at mathematics and computer programming and has always had obsessions in the past which have always fizzled out when he finds another.  He finds it extremely difficult to make friends, keep a job and has always had relationships with girls but when they end he gets depressed and suicidal.

Last year he revealed he has gender dysmorphia since having counselling sessions after when a psychologist suggested his failed relationships could be because he feels uncomfortable in his male role and I am concerned that this may be yet another obsession which will be irreversible if he does become a woman.  He has now been gioven the go-ahead to take hormones after 4 hours of specialist couselling and 1 seesion with a specialist psychiatrist.

Have any other parents been through this sort of thing or do they think I am just clutching at straws and just watch him go ahead?

Parents
  • Well, I was unaware of this amongst the autistic community, but it makes sense!

    I'm just wondering if the fact that we don't relate to societal "norms" and are perhaps more willing to question them makes us less likely to relate to the gender stereotypes we are faced with. Kind of, "Well, I don't feel like a typical male/female is apparently supposed to feel, so I must be the other gender"?

    NTs are generally more accepting and will do anything to fit in and gain societal acceptance, so perhaps a bloke who isn't really into football and being "manly" will pretend to be just so that he isn't singled out.

    Just a thought!

Reply
  • Well, I was unaware of this amongst the autistic community, but it makes sense!

    I'm just wondering if the fact that we don't relate to societal "norms" and are perhaps more willing to question them makes us less likely to relate to the gender stereotypes we are faced with. Kind of, "Well, I don't feel like a typical male/female is apparently supposed to feel, so I must be the other gender"?

    NTs are generally more accepting and will do anything to fit in and gain societal acceptance, so perhaps a bloke who isn't really into football and being "manly" will pretend to be just so that he isn't singled out.

    Just a thought!

Children
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