TY - JOUR
T1 - A Clinical Program for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Neurodiverse/Autistic Adolescents Developed through Community-Based Participatory Design
AU - Strang, John F.
AU - Knauss, Megan
AU - van der Miesen, Anna
AU - McGuire, Jenifer K.
AU - Kenworthy, Lauren
AU - Caplan, Reid
AU - Freeman, Andrew
AU - Sadikova, Eleonora
AU - Zaks, Zosia
AU - Pervez, Noor
AU - Balleur, Anouk
AU - Rowlands, D. W.
AU - Sibarium, Ely
AU - Willing, Laura
AU - McCool, Marissa A.
AU - Ehrbar, Randall D.
AU - Wyss, Shannon E.
AU - Wimms, Harriette
AU - Tobing, Joshua
AU - Thomas, John
AU - Austen, Julie
AU - Pine, Elyse
AU - Griffin, April D.
AU - Janssen, Aron
AU - Gomez-Lobo, Veronica
AU - Brandt, Abigail
AU - Morgan, Colleen
AU - Meagher, Haley
AU - Gohari, Dena
AU - Kirby, Laura
AU - Russell, Laura
AU - Powers, Meredith D.
AU - Anthony, Laura G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Objective: A series of studies report elevated rates of autism and autistic characteristics among gender-diverse youth seeking gender services. Although youth with the co-occurrence present with complex care needs, existing studies have focused on co-occurrence rates. Further, clinical commentaries have emphasized provider-centered interpretations of clinical needs rather than key stakeholder-driven clinical approaches. This study aimed to employ community-based participatory research methodologies to develop a key stakeholder-driven clinical group program. Method: Autistic/neurodiverse gender-diverse (A/ND-GD) youth (N = 31), parents of A/ND-GD youth (N = 46), A/ND-GD self-advocates (N = 10), and expert clinical providers (N = 10) participated in a multi-stage community-based participatory procedure. Needs assessment data were collected repeatedly over time from A/ND-GD youth and their parents as the youth interacted with one another through ongoing clinical groups, the curriculum of which was developed progressively through the iterative needs assessments. Results: Separate adolescent and parent needs assessments revealed key priorities for youth (e.g., the importance of connecting with other A/ND-GD youth and the benefit of experiencing a range of gender-diverse role models to make gender exploration and/or gender affirmation more concrete) and parents (e.g., the need for A/ND-related supports for their children as well as provision of an A/ND-friendly environment that fosters exploration of a range of gender expressions/options). Integration and translation of youth and parent priorities resulted in 11 novel clinical techniques for this population. Conclusions: With generally high acceptability ratings for each component of the group program, this study presents a community-driven clinical model to support broad care needs and preferences of A/ND-GD adolescents.
AB - Objective: A series of studies report elevated rates of autism and autistic characteristics among gender-diverse youth seeking gender services. Although youth with the co-occurrence present with complex care needs, existing studies have focused on co-occurrence rates. Further, clinical commentaries have emphasized provider-centered interpretations of clinical needs rather than key stakeholder-driven clinical approaches. This study aimed to employ community-based participatory research methodologies to develop a key stakeholder-driven clinical group program. Method: Autistic/neurodiverse gender-diverse (A/ND-GD) youth (N = 31), parents of A/ND-GD youth (N = 46), A/ND-GD self-advocates (N = 10), and expert clinical providers (N = 10) participated in a multi-stage community-based participatory procedure. Needs assessment data were collected repeatedly over time from A/ND-GD youth and their parents as the youth interacted with one another through ongoing clinical groups, the curriculum of which was developed progressively through the iterative needs assessments. Results: Separate adolescent and parent needs assessments revealed key priorities for youth (e.g., the importance of connecting with other A/ND-GD youth and the benefit of experiencing a range of gender-diverse role models to make gender exploration and/or gender affirmation more concrete) and parents (e.g., the need for A/ND-related supports for their children as well as provision of an A/ND-friendly environment that fosters exploration of a range of gender expressions/options). Integration and translation of youth and parent priorities resulted in 11 novel clinical techniques for this population. Conclusions: With generally high acceptability ratings for each component of the group program, this study presents a community-driven clinical model to support broad care needs and preferences of A/ND-GD adolescents.
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U2 - 10.1080/15374416.2020.1731817
DO - 10.1080/15374416.2020.1731817
M3 - Article
C2 - 32375521
AN - SCOPUS:85089401054
SN - 1537-4416
VL - 50
SP - 730
EP - 745
JO - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
JF - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
IS - 6
ER -