Speaker(s):
Presentation: There has been a quiet revolution taking place of parents who recognize that their child has strong identification with a gender that was not assigned at birth. Some children are showing this identity as young as three or four, often insisting that they live as that other gender. While psychologists believed in the not so distant past that they could change a child’s gender variance by rewarding the play of more stereotypical boy or girl toys, we now recognize that gender is a more fixed trait that is biologically based and not easily changed. When not allowed to live in their preferred gender, these youth can develop severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, self-harm or other self-destructive escapist behaviors. These children are subject to much bullying for breaking the gender code enforced by peers on how boys should act and how girls should act.
This presentation will inform the attendees on the development of our current concepts of gender, the treatment approaches used to deal with gender dysphoria, and the resources available to help families and their child, including self-help groups, medical approaches, community resources, and counseling or psychotherapy to build self-acceptance and acceptance by parents as well as how schools can support these students to build a climate of respect and tolerance. This presentation will also address what is now called non-binary identities of youth who see themselves on a gender spectrum, somewhere between male or female.
Objectives:
- Review the evolution of our concept of disorders of gender identities
- Discuss the experience of gender variant youth as they develop
- Describe the multiple approaches used to help families and children
- Explain gender as a spectrum and non-binary identities