Autism-World

Ask:I read this article about autism saying it may actually be a case of an extreme male brain; caused by excess testosterone. If this is true, wouldn’t the degree of testosterone in a womens body to induce autism be enough to cause physical complications and health problems (as testosterone has different effects in the female body)? Can someone help this make sense to me, why this theory is not completely debunked? Another reason this doesn’t make sense to me is because I have often heard that gender identity disorder, a disorder were a person associates themselves with the wrong gender, (ex: a woman feels like a man inside) is likely caused by an excessive of testosterone(or a lack of it in the reverse case) in the womb. How can two disorders be caused by the same thing?

Answer:Well, autism has nothing to do with sex hormones directly. It is something physically wrong with the brain. Not all masculine or feminine behaviors have to do with sex hormones or the 23rd pair of chromosomes. It is just merely coincidental when it results in more masculine behavior. Sure, there may be girls with autism, but since they may have a larger corpus colossum (the white matter in the center), it may effect them different. Also, it seems that due to different cultural expectations, girls with autism/Aspergers might be missed.

The effects of autism in males is often ironic. They may have more spatial abilities than other males, less abilty than males to organize things (futher from the feminine side), more awkward than males, etc. But they are often more likely to be TSs or they may be perceived as gay by others. That is ironic when you think about it. Those who undergo gender transition tend to have challenges with it. They may be poor at observation skills and they may lack many of the elements of a personality. They would benefit from people telling them how a person of the gender they believe they are behaves and acts, but that is not what they get. They get advice that is suited to NTs (neuro-typicals) such as “watch others and be yourself.” If watching others does not teach you much, then what is the point? How can you be yourself if you have very little self to be? They may be more likely to be TSs, yet have lots of trouble passing as a member of the sex that corresponds with their gender. It is a double bind and very hard on them.

Now, we must isolate feminine feelings from feminine abilities and behaviors. A person’s sense of self is independent of their abilities and their automatic behaviors. The testosterone in the womb theories have to do with identity, not ability. It is possible for someone to have the talents and abilities of a male while feeling with intensity and conviction that they were supposed to be a woman.

Now, one thing that seems to tie this together is neuro-chemical disruptors. A lot of TSs and autistics may live near farms, factories, computer manufacturing plants, etc. Now, the pollutants and chemicals may cause a crucial stage of gender programming to be missed by interfering with hormones. If that happens early on, that probably causes transsexualism, and later on might be a precursor to transgenderism and homosexuality. But it is possible that such chemicals also interfere with the development of other parts of the brain. So one can have the gender orienation of female, but have a disease that makes them more masculine.

Or another theory is that in autistic/Aspergers patients, the extra masculine-stereotyped abilities creates a sense of imbalance, and they may attempt gender transition to help relieve the imbalance. I know from my own experiences that I’ve tried everything to curb anger and difficulties in getting along with others that I felt my last hope was transition. The female hormones calmed me down a lot and made me a more cooperative person.

I don’t put too much stock in the extreme male theory since I am a TS and have Aspergers. Yes, in certain things I do have more masculine traits, and I wish that were not so. I tend to have more technical interest than most males or females. It takes me longer than a lot of people to do a lot of normal tasks. I’m less coordinated and organized than a lot of people, and I compartmentalize things. It is hard for me to remember things out of context. If I know someone from one place, it will be hard for me to remember who they are in another setting. I have feelings of justice and revenge that are stronger than most men have. But, what about the things that the site you gave calls feminine behavior? I liked to gossip, and I was more verbal. I played with trucks because that was what I was given, but if I had been given dolls, I would have played with them. I absolutely hated sports and still do. I used to be called a lot of names growing up, a number of them that attempted to attack orientation, when, to tell you the truth, I’ve never had an orientation. I’ve never felt a need or desire for sexual relations with anyone of either sex. I’ve always been more sensitive to teasing than others.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 11:00 am and is filed under Ask and answer.