Sexuality, Gender, and Autism
摘要
Recent developments in autism research emphasize the need for increased focus on community informed perspectives on key issues as they relate to gender and sexuality, positioning the utility of intersectional frameworks in addressing and disparities in diagnosis, healthcare, and victimization. This chapter describes areas of emphasis which have become prominent in the literature. First, this entry will address disparities experienced by those marginalized by gender and sexuality by first providing an overview of the sex imbalance in diagnostic rates, including contributory factors and associated impacts. This entry will then summarize contemporary perspectives and insights on increased gender and sexual variance in autism. Focus will then be directed toward the nascent area of autistic relationship dynamics, including the interplay with different expressions of sexuality, as well as ways in which autism-related challenges intersect with contextual factors, including societal stigma, gender, and sexuality to increase risk of varying forms of victimization. Last, this entry will provide recommendations to reduce various disparities in health, healthcare, and support received among autistic people of diverse gender and sexuality as it relates to the provision of personal sociosexual safety education, opportunities for social inclusion and participation, and importance of intersectional and affirming care among clinicians.