Transgender youth

Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, transgender youth face different challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity. In Europe, some medical groups and countries have discouraged or limited the use of puberty blockers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "by age four most children have a stable sense of their gender identity" and "research substantiates that children who are prepubertal and assert [a transgender or gender diverse identity] know their gender as clearly and as consistently as their developmentally equivalent peers who identify as cisgender and benefit from the same level of social acceptance". A review published in 2022 found the majority of pre-pubertal children who socially transition persist in their identity in 5 to 7 year follow ups. Gender dysphoria is likely to be permanent if it persists during puberty. Gender dysphoria in children#Persistence If a child's gender dysphoria persists during puberty, it is likely permanent. For children with gender dysphoria, the period between 10 and 13 years is crucial with regard to long-term gender identity. Factors that are associated with gender dysphoria persisting through puberty include intensity of gender dysphoria, amount of cross-gendered behavior, and verbal identification with the desired/experienced gender (i.e. stating that they are a different gender rather than wish to be a different gender).