Ashleigh will be presenting research from her PhD dissertation thesis entitled, Overlapping Spectrums: Understanding The Meaning Making Of Gender Diverse Autistic Adults Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Clinicians, educators, and support professionals in the fields of autism and gender are increasingly likely to encounter clients, patients, and families working to understand gender diversity and autism simultaneously. However, the overlap of gender diversity and autism has received scant research attention to date, especially in terms of the lived experiences of transgender autistic individuals themselves.

This workshop will focus on assessment within these overlapping spectrums, provide support in clarifying social and medical transition needs for gender diverse and neurodiverse clients, review at a high level some recent research in this field, and provide participants with tools and frameworks for supporting trans neurodiverse clients with preparation for social and medical transition.

This workshop will focus on ways to intervene with parents struggling to understand their child’s needs as well as their own. We will look at the history underpinning our current notions regarding gender and gender identity development. We will also explore the intersections of gender diversity and neurodiversity, particularly the overlap of the autism spectrum with the gender spectrum, presenting the most recent research findings in this area as well as therapeutic guidelines for working with gender diverse autistic children, youth, and their families.

*Registration required