Transgender children will be tested for autism under new plans to identify any underlying “neurodevelopmental conditions”.
The NHS has revised their guidance so that every child referred to a gender clinic is “holistically assessed for neurodevelopmental conditions” such as ADHD, according to The Telegraph.
After Baroness Cass conducted her review into gender identity services for children across the UK last year, it was revealed that young people who experience gender dysphoria are more likely to suffer from such conditions.
As a result, children’s mental health, familial relationships and sexual development will be assessed and evaluated by medical professionals.
GETTY
An NHS spokesman said: “As part of NHS England’s commitment to implement advice from the Cass Review, we have recently gone out to stakeholder testing on a proposed revised specification planned to replace the interim service specification for the Children and Young People’s Gender Service.
“We will soon be going to full public consultation on this draft specification which sets out the new holistic assessment framework that was described by Cass in her report.
“NHS England has recently changed the referral pathway so child patients can only access gender services that we commission if they’re referred by a paediatrician or a child and adolescent mental health worker.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
MORE TO FOLLOW…
