“You Are the Expert of Your Own Experience”: A Thematic Analysis of Experiences of Autism and Gender Diversity in Adulthood

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Glackin, A., Pearson, A., & Davis, R. (2023). “You Are the Expert of Your Own Experience”: A Thematic Analysis of Experiences of Autism and Gender Diversity in Adulthood. Autism in Adulthood, 6(3), 300-311. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0111

Publication date: 8 Sep 2023 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Amelia Glackin
  2. Amy Pearson *
  3. Rachael Davis

Abstract

Background: Autistic people are more likely to report gender dysphoric traits, and transgender and gender-expansive individuals frequently report higher scores on self-report measures of autistic traits. Despite the clear association between autism and gender diversity, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring the lived experiences of autistic adults. Methods: This study contributes to the evidence base by exploring the strengths and challenges of the intersectional experiences of autism and gender diversity in adulthood. Twelve transgender/gender-expansive autistic people participated in an online semi-structured interview or an open-ended survey, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Three main themes were identified: (1) Navigating a gender journey, (2) The impact of social context on self, and (3) Provision of health care. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the unique experiences of being both an autistic and transgender/gender-expansive person to further understand the intersection between autism and gender diversity.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
35
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
4 / 35 (11.4%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
10 / 138 (7.2%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 10 / 63 (15.9%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 9 / 119 (7.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
63 / 138 (45.7%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 48 / 119 (40.3%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
53 / 63 (84.1%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 53 / 138 (38.4%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 39 / 48 (81.2%).
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