Gender Roles in Adults with Asperger’s Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism
The researcher will present an original exploratory qualitative study investigating the intersection of adults with Asperger’s Syndrome/high-functioning autism and gender identity. The researcher gathered qualitative data through the use of interviews and related measures. Participants included four adults, ranging from young adult to middle-aged, with three males and one female. Further, the researcher administered the Autism Quotient (Baron-Cohen, 2001), interviews in two individual sessions, demographic survey, and a graphic measure designed by the researcher for the purpose of assessing internal sense of conformity to gender roles along the gender continuum. The researcher found that the participants expressed a history of negative experiences relating to gender roles, especially when they found they could not conform to those roles adequately. Also, upon being made aware of this difficulty, they made committed efforts to fit in with their peers, especially in adolescence. As they matured, they abandoned these efforts and prioritized their natural inclinations and values over pressure to conform to societal gender roles. Based on study findings, the researcher concluded that people with Asperger’s Syndrome/high-functioning autism may experience greater difficulty navigating binary societal gender roles in comparison to their neurotypical peers. Future directions will also be discussed, including the need for a replication of the present study focused on transgender adults with Asperger’s Syndrome/high-functioning autism.
PSY 490/499, Research Practicum & Capstone
Mary Ann Winter-Messiers
Banquet Room
10 – 11 AM