Marcella Piper-Terry

When my daughter first showed signs that something was seriously wrong with her health, I was very entrenched in the mainstream medical model. I thought everyone knew better than me. I was afraid and full of self-doubt and as a result, I handed over the reins to the wrong people. They weren’t terrible people and I don’t think they intentionally hurt her.

At MAPS (Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs) we are busy preparing for the upcoming Clinician and Parent Conferences next month in Philadelphia. Children’s health is always on our minds, and we are continuously searching for effective ways to prevent harm and promote optimal wellness in children. MAPS clinicians often work with extremely sick children, and they are trained to look at root causes of chronic and complex illness.

There is a very real association between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gender dysphoria (GD), with multiple published studies finding increased rates of GD among individuals diagnosed with ASD when compared to the rates in the general population. There is a high degree of variability, with some sources reporting 4-7% and others reporting up to 20% increased gender dysphoria in children and teens diagnosed with autism, compared to peers without ASD.