Gender-expansive youth, as the term suggests, comprise a diverse group, with each teen or child charting their own unique course.
They can’t be reduced to a single entity — in much the same way that youth with ADHD resist easy categorization.Still, collectively, gender nonconforming youth face common obstacles and common threats: discrimination, harassment, bullying, massive barriers to appropriate care, and other forms of transphobia.In the face of these threats, support from doctors, communities, schools, and family members has a powerful protective effect.
According to a national survey conducted by The Trevor Project, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, but those who felt highly supported by their family reported attempting suicide at less than half that rate.
A recent study in Child Development revealed similar findings: LGBTQ+ youth who received parental support experienced significantly fewer depressive episodes.Understanding how to best provide support may be particularly confusing for parents of gender-expansive youth with ADHD, who struggle with impulsivity, executive dysfunction, and emotional dysregulation.