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An 11-year-old has spoken out about her decision to change gender in the hope of inspiring others.

Born as a boy called Campbell, Isabelle told her family last year just after her 10th birthday that she felt she was stuck in the wrong body.

In an documentary with ABC's Four Corners, which is set to air on Friday, she reveals why she chose to share her story with the world.

In an effort to encourage others to speak out, her advice was: "If you don't be yourself, you're going to be miserable for your whole life."

Research has found that children who are trying to cope with gender identity are the most vulnerable between the time they come out and before they get treatment.

Upon hearing this, Isabelle's parent's Naomi and Andrew took it upon themselves to act fast for the sake of their eldest daughter.

Social worker Naomi said: "There was probably a couple of months where she’d start a conversation with me saying I’m just feeling weird, I don’t feel right. She said... I don’t like my body, and I said well... what do you you mean?

"And she said.. I feel like I’m a girl, I’m in the wrong body."

(Image: Being Me - Four Corners)

Andrew, who runs the family's Bed and Breakfast business added: "It took three or four weeks to go through it but just see how upset she was, she would come home miserable (and say) "I don't want to live"."

Naomi continued: "She... just whispered, I just can’t see what the future looks like for me.

"And that was awful... I think for me that was the point where the confusion kind of melted away a little bit and you just sort of think well god, we’ve only got one job here and this is to help her create a future that she can live with, that she can thrive in."

Isabelle immediately started her treatment to change her gender as well as taking part in counselling sessions to support her.

The documentary reveals that the numbers of transgender children presenting themselves at clinics around Australia are increasing which experts believe is down to youngsters being brave enough to speak out sooner.

(Image: Being Me - Four Corners)

Currently 30 per cent of children who don't receive the treatment attempt suicide whereas 50 per cent self harm.

Dr Michelle Telfer, Paediatrician and Clinical Lead of Adolescent Medicine at RCH, said that the parent's role supporting their children during such a difficult time is essential to their wellbeing.

Any youngster wishing to swap gender receives two stages of transformation, overseen by at least five doctors.

The first is called puberty blockers which enable children to change gradually, giving them the chance to make a long-term decision about their gender.

If they choose to go ahead with the transformation then cross changing hormones are prescribed to leave a lasting effect.

In Australia, families are now campaigning for teenagers to have the right to access to the treatment without having to get the permission of the courts.