Your child’s gender identity can give you a sense of who they are in the world. Whether or not you understand gender identity, expression, or dysphoria, you may be wondering how to support your child as they navigate these emotions. Gender dysphoria is a phenomenon that can cause distress to your child in the form of anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues. This struggle requires lots of support from the family as well as the help of a professional in order for your child to feel accepted and understood. This is all you need to know about a child who may be experiencing gender dysphoria.

What are gender identity and expression?

To understand gender dysphoria, it is important to first understand gender identity. Your child may identify as cisgender, which means they identify as the same sex that was assigned at birth, either male or female. On the other hand, your child may identify as gender diverse.

This means your child’s gender identity could be any of the following:

• Transgender: The gender with which your child identifies does not match their assigned sex at birth

• Non-binary: The gender with which your child identifies is not male or female

• Gender fluid: Your child moves between gender identities

• Agender: Your child doesn’t identify with any gender

• And more

Gender expression is how your child expresses the gender with which they identify. Gender can be expressed in a number of ways, such as through their style, clothing, hairstyle, and even name. Gender expression often begins around age 2, and children may even begin challenging gender roles and experimenting early on. For instance, young girls might not want to wear traditionally feminine articles of clothing such as dresses, and young boys might want to play with dolls rather than toy cars. This is very normal and does not necessarily mean that your child is gender diverse.

However, some gender-diverse children might begin discussing their gender identity as being different as early as primary school. This is not the case for everyone, though, as some might not know until after puberty or into adulthood. In many cases, the feeling of having a different gender identity and the wrong physical sex will continue into adulthood.

Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria is a common phenomenon amongst those who identify as gender diverse. Gender dysphoria is where your child feels emotionally or physiologically distressed because their assigned sex at birth does not align with their gender identity. This sensation can cause your child to feel discomfort or disgust with their own body and can affect their school and/or home life. Gender dysphoria can occur in children of all ages. Luckily, there are many ways to identify this struggle in your child.

Signs of gender dysphoria in young children:

• Asking questions about their gender, such as a young boy asking, “Can I be a mummy when I grow up?

• Reacting negatively toward being called anything gender-specific, such as “girl,” “daughter,” or “sister.”

• Insistent that they are a different gender than their assigned sex

• Requesting the use of different pronouns or asking to be called a different name

• Displaying distaste for the physical aspects of their assigned sex, such as their breasts or penis

• Having tantrums, avoiding taking part in usual activities, a decline in school achievement, or other signs of anxiety