The present study is the first to analyze patterns of spoken narrative discourse in autistic adults of under-represented genders. It is important to understand whether and how autism presentations differ across genders, especially when gender influences the likelihood of autism diagnosis in the presence of similar levels of autistic traits (Russell et al., 2011). Analyzing the communication of transgender and nonbinary individuals is especially necessary given emerging evidence of a higher incidence of gender variance in the autistic than the non-autistic population (Dewinter et al., 2017; Nobili et al., 2018).

People of diverse genders may be more alike than they are different, based on the lack of statistically significant effects of gender on linguistic variables in this small sample. The time for perpetuating research based on decades-old stereotypes of gendered communication is past. Twenty-first century scientific discourse requires a critical examination of the frameworks that support sexism, transphobia/transmisia [see note below], misogyny, and homophobia. Researchers must acknowledge institutionalized misogyny and the ways it has shaped the communicative behaviors that are available for observation. It is no longer enough to describe the different behaviors and attitudes of women and men: we must engage with the underlying institutions that caused the patterns we now view as stereotypical. The liberation of trans, queer, and neurodivergent people demands a reckoning with the limitations imposed by a binary system of gender.

Evolving research understandings of gender do not necessitate rejecting the study of gender differences completely. Even without statistical significance, interesting gender-related patterns were revealed in the present sample of discourse. These patterns were not confined to binary masculine/feminine distinctions. Autistic women, both cis and trans, tended to tell longer stories than autistic men and nonbinary people did. Nonbinary people tended to avoid using gendered language to describe people they didn’t know, even fictional characters in a drawing. Replicating and extending this research to larger samples of autistic and non-autistic adults of diverse genders will help to determine which patterns of communication may be reliable.

Cross-task themes indicated that autistic adults, especially those of marginalized genders, were concerned with meeting task expectations and performing to the best of their ability. The frequency with which participants expressed concern about the adequacy of their narratives implies that autistic people and/or people whose genders are marginalized learn to believe that they should expect to be perceived as inadequate. The negative markers of epistemic stance that pervaded the sample highlight the need for a movement to strengths-based approaches to autism and the importance of supporting autistic individuals to cultivate positive self-concept and a sense of autistic identity (Cooper et al., 2021).

Participants consistently emphasized the importance of connecting with others. This is perhaps the most important pattern in the present data. Autistic adults face stereotypes that they are uninterested in socialization and have difficulty building interpersonal relationships. The participants in the present study indicated that these stereotypes could not be less true, especially for autistic women and members of other marginalized genders. Autistic people may struggle to communicate with neurotypicals, but that does not mean that interpersonal (or cross-neurotype) connection is impossible or unimportant. Participants in this study used many different strategies to connect with others, including teaching, sewing, roller skating, foraging for mushrooms, performing on stage, playing video games, and using echolalia to communicate. Perhaps non-autistic communication partners and society as a whole can become more accepting and understanding of the diverse creative methods that autistic people are already using to communicate and connect.

Note: The term “transphobia” conveys fear of transgender people and/or transgenderism. Such fear has been used to excuse violent hate crimes. Some trans activists have begun to recommend the alternate term “transmisia,” which more directly and accurately locates the source of violence in hatred of trans people. The word roots in “transmisia” parallel those in “misogyny," the latter of which reflects the reality that discrimination and violence against women are based in hatred, not fear.

Original source: Coburn, K.L. (2021). Spoken narratives by autistic adults of under-represented genders.