Transexuals and autistic traits

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The study Female-to-male-Transexuals and Autistic Traits by a team at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University found that transmen (female-to-male transexuals) have more autistic traits, as measured by the Autism Quotient (AQ), than typical females, typical males and transwomen (male-to-female-transexuals).

The participants in the study comprised 61 transmen, 198 transwomen, 76 typical males, 98 typical females and 125 autistic individuals.

AQ score 23-28: transmen 21.3%, transwomen 13.6%, typical males 15.8%, typical females 10.2%.

AQ score 29-34: transmen 14.8%, transwomen 3.5%, typical males 5.3%, typical females 0.2%.

AQ score 35+: transmen 14.8%, transwomen 1.5%, typical males 1.3%, typical females 0%.

The research team speculates that it is possible that genetic females with Gender Identity Disorder have difficulty socializing because of the existence of autistic traits; and that higher autistic traits in transmen may be due to higher foetal testosterone levels, since this is correlated with higher AQ scores.

The key word is "speculates". In other words, the correlation between data sets is not significant enough to hypothesize, much less so to form a theory, and leaving out "factual" altogether.

The hierarchy, from most to least certainty, is:

1) Truth: Any idea that is valid beyond any reasonable doubt, and which has proven so useful that, even if further modifications become necessary, the original idea will still be a useful as an approximation or heuristic device.

2) Fact: A theory that has been validated, both independently and repeatedly, regardless of any reasonable doubt or lack of understanding of its underlying principles.

3a) Theory, Valid: Any systematic and coherent collection of ideas that relate to a specific subject.
3b) Theory, Invalid: A theory that has been falsified, or proven false in at least one specific case.

4a) Idea, Valid: Any idea that stands up to the process of refutation, and that by doing so teaches something of value.
4b) Idea, Hypothetical: Any idea that is testable, and that has not been validated.
4c) Idea, Speculative: Any idea that has no real data upon which to base a conclusion.
4d) Idea, Conjectural: Any idea for which there is no knowledge of how it may be proven.
4e) Idea, Non-Trivially False: Ideas for which the process of refuting brings the examiners significantly closer to a correct answer, especially if the examination rules out an entire class of ideas.
4f) Idea, Trivially False: Any idea that falls down before the process of refutation, and for which the process of refutation teaches nothing of value.

5) Fantasy / Fiction: A theory that has been falsified or proven false in all known cases (a.k.a; Pseudo-Science or Woo).

:: The research team is dealing with a mere idea of the third order ("Idea, Speculative"), which is of an order once removed from pure fantasy, thus rendering their conclusions irrelevant.

QED

This study was presented as a poster at the International Meeting For Autism Research in London last month. The word "speculates" is not used in that poster. Under the heading Discussion the authors say It is possible that genetic females with autistic traits etc, and in the next sentence Elevated autistic traits etc.

I did not use the word in a technical sense in a hierachy of truthfulness, but as an alternative to it is possible. I do not believe that a research team from Cambridge University would waste their time with speculative ideas. Therefore their study deserves to be taken seriously.

Truth is subjective.
Its only basis in actuality is as seen through a very limiting filter.
It is a word for pushing one's beliefs on others.


As for the topic at hand....

*Shrugs*
Wouldn't know. Wouldn't care.
I'm Anti-Gender.

I've had people call me Trannie, and I tell them to f**k off.... because people don't seem to get the idea that I don't consider myself by either gender. I'm just a ME .... The body might be male, but I don't consider myself male NOR female.... Just myself... Gender-neutral.

.

Only for those who either will not or can not understand the truth.

Truth is absolute. The perception and the interpretation of the truth, however, are primarily subjective issues.

Last edited by Fnord on 05 Jun 2008, 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

my sister is male to female and she was dx'd as having AS before i was.

that said. the sample is itty bitty. i know it's not necessarily easy to find qualified participants... but at least wait longer and get more info if you have to.

Then the relevancy of the conclusions renders to the same scale.

Irrelevant.

For a single study, it's not a small sample. But then regardless, since it's only a single study so far, no single study whether it looks at causation or correlation, should be held up as fact. It's just evidence.

However, Baron-Cohen's team has done more research on related areas, all turning up additional supporting evidence. Granted, I'd like to see them working more with the endocrine system on a biologic level rather than behavioral.

And there is also past research on GID in women which lends credence to B-C's findings, not in terms of autistic behaviors but in male-associated behaviors as well as in utero androgen levels.

The work is preliminary, but promising. And I find his work highly interesting, albeit I have some criticisms about his research focus and his hypotheses. I'd also like to see how he explains transgenderism in male autistics, if his androgen theory is supposed to be his big theory. He tends to stay away from such areas though.

On a positive side, his team's got balls. Nobody else is doing this research and the results are significant. On the negative side, I think he gets too lost up in metaphorical theory and sometimes ignores issues that might dispute his theory, which unfortunately weakens it rather than strengthening it.

On the endocrine side of things, I don't think he's wrong. I definitely think that for many autistics, the endocrine system is heavily involved in autistic development. However, I don't think it's the explanation to everything. I think it's just one big piece of the larger picture.

Btw, assuming this isn't published yet since I haven't found anything on it?