{"id":217,"date":"2025-04-03T12:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T11:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/?page_id=217"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T11:01:52","slug":"gender-identity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/gender-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"246\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/gender-identity\/getimage-7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604.png\" data-orig-size=\"489,452\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"GetImage (7)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604-300x277.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604.png\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt wp-image-246 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604-300x277.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"213\" height=\"197\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604-300x277.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/04\/11122237\/GetImage-7-e1749205651604.png 489w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">How someone feels about their gender is known as\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">gender identity.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> People might identify with the sex they were assigned with at birth or they may not. We all express our gender in different ways, for example in how we dress and act.\u00a0 People may experience discomfort or distress when their assigned sex is different from the gender they identify with. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Autistic people may be\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">more likely than their neuro-typical peers to question their gender identity.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><b>Ways in which autistic girls may experience gender questioning \u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Stereotypically, women are expected to think more empathetically and less systematically, which is less obvious in autistic girls as they might express empathy differently. This might make it difficult for autistic girls to relate to roles and expectations for neuro-typical females.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Difficulty with social interactions, i.e. an autistic girl who is bullied by other girls\/ struggle to relate to them might come to dislike girls and identify more with boys.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">A child with a female-assigned gender may become preoccupied with male clothes, toys, and activities as part of their autistic traits.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Autistic children may find it challenging to make sense of the difference between their assigned and experienced or desired gender. This increase in distress could make it harder for them to manage these feelings.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Challenges associated with puberty i.e. understanding and dealing with their emotions and hormones; bodily changes; as well as sensory issues and physical pain related to periods can make them feel uncomfortable in their bodies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><b>Top tips<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Awareness<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> that autistic girls might go through different developmental phases impacting their gender identity, or display personality traits\/interests more commonly associated with boys.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Allow them the freedom to explore their gender identity at their own pace<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0without labelling them as gender diverse or transgender.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Avoid classroom activities that separate pupils&#8217; class by gender,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0addressing any instances of LGBT bullying proactively and sharing in discussion that challenges traditional gender roles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Create an environment where pupils\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">feel free to be themselves\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">and speak to their teachers about gender identity exploration\/issues at their own time. Be open, honest and approachable.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Provide\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">reassurance that gender questioning can take time\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">and that there is\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">no rush to decide a particular label or identity.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0Respect their thoughts and feelings at the time and reassure them that these may change over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ask the pupil questions about\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">what support\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">they would like from school to make them feel comfortable.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Approaches such<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0Pupil Centred Planning, social stories, comic strip conversations and concrete, visual tools<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0may be helpful in exploring their gender identity and planning support around them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Age and stage appropriate\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">education about puberty, changing hormones<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0and physical\/sensory sensations of\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">periods\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">and how to cope with this.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Resources<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/06\/06112020\/Gender-Diversity-FAQs-Primary.pdf\">Gender Diversity FAQs &#8211; Primary <\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000\">Fife Council Educational Psychology\u00a0 guidance on supporting gender diverse pupils in primary school.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399\"><a style=\"color: #333399\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/public\/autisticgirls\/uploads\/sites\/14731\/2025\/06\/06112019\/Gender-Diversity-FAQs-Secondary-.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Gender Diversity FAQs &#8211; Secondary<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"color: #000000\">Fife Council Educational Psychology\u00a0 guidance on supporting gender diverse pupils in secondary school.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/lgbtyouth.org.uk\/\">LGBT Youth Scotland<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Scotland\u2019s national charity for LGBTQ+ young people, aged 13-25. They support young people in all aspects of their lives through the provision of amazing youth work, and support them to use their voice to create change in equality and human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trans.ac.uk\/ResourcesInformation\/tabid\/6345\/Default.aspx\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600\">TransEDU &#8211; Resources &amp; Information <\/span><\/span><\/a>an online resource for supporting trans, non-binary and gender diverse applicants, students and staff in Further and Higher Education.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><a style=\"color: #ff6600\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/supporting-transgender-young-people-schools-guidance-scottish-schools\/\">Supporting transgender young people in schools<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Scottish government guidance for schools on supporting transgender young people<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How someone feels about their gender is known as\u00a0gender identity. People might identify with the sex they were assigned with at birth or they may not. We all express our gender in different ways, for example in how we dress and act.\u00a0 People may experience discomfort or distress when their assigned sex is different from &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/mental-health\/gender-identity\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Gender Identity<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25199,"featured_media":0,"parent":16,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-217","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":797,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions\/797"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/fi\/autisticgirls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}