Gender Dysphoria in Children and Adolescents: Considerations in Assessment and Diagnosis

In this session, Dr. Poquiz will provide insight into the assessment and diagnosis of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents. He will provide historical background and current standards of care related to gender affirming care for children and adolescents, as well as identify and describe concrete examples of how to conduct clinical interviews and assessments with gender diverse children, adolescents, and their families. He will contextualize the practice of assessment within case examples to illustrate the diversity of clinical presentations.

Presenter: 

Dr. Jonathan Poquiz | University of Minnesota Medical School 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe historical and current guidelines of gender affirming care for children and adolescents
2. Identify assessment measures and interviews to facilitate diagnosis of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents
3. Explain how gender dysphoria intersects with other mental health diagnoses
4. Evaluate intervention recommendations based on diagnostic impressions
5. Demonstrate awareness of multiple systems and stakeholders in the care of transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents

Skill Level: 

Beginner and Intermediate 

References: 

Coleman, E., Radix, A. E., Bouman, W. P., Brown, G. R., De Vries, A. L., Deutsch, M. B., ... & Arcelus, J. (2022). Standards of care for the health of transgender and gender diverse people, version 8. International journal of transgender health, 23(sup1), S1-S259.

Kuper, L. E., Cooper, M. B., & Mooney, M. A. (2022). Supporting and advocating for transgender and gender diverse youth and their families within the sociopolitical context of widespread discriminatory legislation and policies. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 10(3), 336-345.

Rafferty, J., Yogman, M., Baum, R., Gambon, T. B., Lavin, A., Mattson, G., ... & Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. (2018). Ensuring comprehensive care and support for transgender and gender-diverse children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 142(4).