Treatment for the parents of feminine boys

Because extreme boyhood femininity is often a precursor of adult transsexualism, transvestism, and homosexuality, the author recommends early intervention for boys who meet specific behavioral criteria of gender disturbance. It is necessary to involve the parents in such treatment and to deal with the resistances they may have to recognizing and working on the problem as well as problems within the marital relationship that may affect the child's behavior. These boys are remarkably responsive to treatment given between the ages of 5 and 12, becoming more masculine in behavior and more comfortable with their identity as males.