A new study that was conducted with 85 non-conforming children, aged three to 12, has found that children perceive their own genders earlier than previously thought. The team asked study participants how close they felt to boys or girls, and which gender they were.

The children that went on to transition overwhelmingly displayed an understanding of their own gender identity as young as three.

“There’s a lot of public writing focused on the idea that we have no idea which of these gender-nonconforming kids will or will not eventually identify as trans,” the study director told The Atlantic. “Our study suggests that it’s not random. We can’t say this kid will be trans and this one won’t be, but it’s not that we have no idea…I think this wouldn’t surprise parents of trans kids, and my findings are often “duh” findings for them. It seems pretty intuitive.”