Assessment Considerations for Transgender/Gender Diverse Youth

Ann Clawson, PhD, ABPP
Empowered Minds Neuropsychology
Olympia, WA

This presentation will review key considerations in the assessment of gender diverse youth, with particular attention to those with co‑occurring autism and gender incongruence. We will outline relevant clinical and neurodevelopmental factors within the context of gender‑affirming care, examine limitations in current measures and normative data, and highlight practical, evidence‑informed tools to strengthen clinical practice.

Objectives:

1) Identify key psychological, neurodevelopmental, and medical factors that inform the assessment of gender diverse youth.

2) Explain the co-occurrence of autism and gender diversity, including lived experiences and neuropsychological considerations relevant to evaluation.

3) Describe evidence-based strategies for implementing a gender-affirming assessment process for youth and their families.

Ann Clawson, PhD, ABPP‑CN, is a board‑certified clinical neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist. She is the owner of Empowered Minds Neuropsychology, a private practice in Lacey, Washington. Dr. Clawson completed her internship in behavioral medicine and neuropsychology at the University of Washington and her postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins Hospital. She spent eight years in the neuropsychology department at Children’s National Hospital and served as an assistant professor at George Washington University. She was one of two neuropsychologists in the Gender and Autism Program—the first clinic in the nation dedicated to evaluating and supporting youth with co‑occurring autism and gender diversity. Clinically, Dr. Clawson provides neuropsychological evaluations for youth with a wide range of medical and neurodevelopmental conditions, with specialized expertise in the intersection of autism and gender diversity. She is also an active researcher with 23 peer‑reviewed publications and numerous conference presentations. Her current collaborations include NIH‑ and foundation‑funded projects focused on autism, including investigations of cognitive and neural indices of social learning and psychological profiles of LGBTQ+ autistic individuals.