The development of the adult version of the Signposting Questionnaire for Autism (SQ-A (Adult)) and a systematic review of the factors associated with co-occurring gender dysphoria and Autism spectrum disorder

Gender dysphoria (GD) and Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an established co-occurrence with each other beyond that expected in the general population. The symptoms of each may affect assessment and diagnosis of the other, but there is a paucity of guidance on working with this co-occurrence. To examine this issue a systematic review was conducted of all published studies examining diagnoses of both conditions to identify and classify the biopsychosocial hypotheses posited for this link. In total 456 English language studies were screened. After exclusions 15 studies were selected. Co-occurrence rates are briefly examined, before synthesising the biopsychosocial features in extant literature; the review however finds most lack evidence. The challenges this raises for holistic assessment and treatment are discussed. Paper 2: Questionnaire data are frequently collected by diagnostic services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to supplement clinical decision-making. However, the validity and reliability of many ASD questionnaires used in clinical settings needs to be established. In phase one, the Signposting Questionnaire for Autism (Adult) was developed with advice from autistic adults. In phase two its initial psychometric properties were examined in a typically developing population (N=80). In phase three the SQ-A(Adult) was administered in a clinically-referred population (N=66) and comparisons were made between those seeking diagnosis, their loved-ones and assessing clinicians. Results demonstrated convergent and concurrent validity and cross-informant reliability across several comparisons. Findings are discussed in the context of their potential contribution to further clinical practice, and a full validation study was proposed