U.K.’s Largest Pediatric Gender Clinic Ignored Autism Connection In Teens Seeking Sex Changes, New Book Claims

The U.K.’s largest pediatric gender clinic has been accused in a new Book of medicalizing teens with comorbidities, including more than a third of patients who showed signs of “moderate to severe” autism.

The book, “Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children” Hannah Barnes, BBC Newsnight journalist, claims that the Tavistock Clinic (an NHS facility in the U.K. called the Gender Identity Development Service, (GIDS)), ignored evidence that 97.5% children who sought chemical and surgical sex reassignment were diagnosed with autism, depression, or any other conditions that could have contributed to their unhappiness. 

“Some staff feared they could be unnecessarily medicating autistic children,” Barnes wrote.

Barnes conducted over 100 hours in interviews with patients and clinicians during research for the book. He discovered that the staff of the facility pushed a pro-transgender agenda and treated children who might not be transgender as such. “collateral damage.”

Former staff claimed that many children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD were being prescribed unnecessary drugs and surgery. According to the book, less than 2% of U.K. children have autism spectrum disorders. However, 35% of GIDS referrals are autistic. “present with moderate to severe autistic traits.” 

The large and rapidly growing group of transgender children who claim to be from the autism spectrum is disproportionately made up of children and adolescents. In the last 10 years, at most there have been a few hundred transgender children. nine studies Transgender identities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These studies show that autistic traits are significantly more common in those with gender dysphoria than in the general population.

Some researchers believe the percentage of young girls with autism who believe they’re experiencing gender dysphoria is actually higher, and that many females who have autism go undiagnosed. Autism was once considered a diagnosis. “boy’s diagnosis,” The ratio of males to females is 4:1. Experts now believe that girls’ autistic traits present differently, which may require a separate diagnostic criteria to detect. 

Recent Study The 2022 publication used a mathematical modeling model to predict the true male to female ratio. It was closer to a 3-4 ratio. The study concludes, “Eighty percent of females remain undiagnosed at age 18, which has serious consequences for the mental health of young women.”

Tavistock staff raised similar concerns about medicating gay children unnecessarily. In 2012, GIDS surveyed adolescents referred to the clinic regarding their sexuality. It found that more than 90% of females and 80% males were identified as being same-sex attracted/bisexual. Anastassis Spoiliadis, one of the clinic’s clinicians, concluded that GIDS was actually providing care. “conversion therapy for gay kids,” There was even a joke among the team about how there would be “no gay people left at the rate GIDS was going.” Barnes reported that gay clinicians voiced concerns to their leaders, but were dismissed for being too involved in the work and not objective. This assertion was denied by the clinic. 

According to Barnes, children as young 10 years old were referred to the clinic to receive a prescription for puberty-blocking medications after only 20 minutes consultation. Others were referred without proper investigation of co-occurring mental conditions. Barnes, a social worker, estimated that there were as few as ten. “2 or 3%” of children treated at the clinic would have stayed transgender for life if they had not been given the controversial drug therapy.

Children referred by GIDS were ten-fold more likely than the average to have a registered sex ofender as a parent than the national median, 42% had lost a child through separation or death, and 70% had more that five. “associated features” Such as anxiety, depression and abuse, self-harming, bullying, eating disorders, suicide attempts, or self-harm.

Barnes reported that some staff at GIDS believed that children who could have reconciled with their bodies were being denied this chance through the use of drugs. Dr. Anna Hutchinson is a senior clinical psychologist at GIDS. She stated that the service began to be used quickly. “accept everyone.”

Puberty-blockers were originally intended to provide children with a break from puberty. “time to think” Dr. Hutchinson discovered that nearly all of them had taken cross-sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, which can have irreversible consequences. It was an ah-ha moment for her. “holy f***” moment for her.

“Because what are the chances of 100% of people, offered time to think, thinking the same thing?” Dr. Hutchinson. “If the service was getting this wrong, it was getting it wrong with some of the most vulnerable children and young people.” She believes now that “some of those kids would not have identified as trans had they not been put on the medical pathway.”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean to say that identifying