It was an exciting day for Sammy when she put on the girls' uniform for her school. You see, before that she'd had to wear the boys' uniform, even though she'd thought of herself as a girl since she was little.

Sammy, a 12-year-old who lives in the Newcastle area, is biologically a boy and used to be called Sam.

She and her mum Yvonne shared their story with Helen Clare on her Sunday Statewide program.

It's a journey that's involved court action, medication to block puberty and discussions with everyone from the school principal and teachers to the education department and other parents.

What makes Sammy different has been called many things over the years, though the current term is "gender dysphoria".

Yvonne explains that the family thinks of it as a condition she was born with, "like having an extra toe".

What's truly remarkable about this family and their school community is not that Sam became Sammy, but that the transition has happened so smoothly.

"Well it's actually feeling quite great, I've been enjoying it," says Sammy of her new life as a girl.

"That actually felt pretty easy, yeah, it doesn't feel like a big deal anymore."

Yvonne is delighted to see her child now so confident and comfortable in her own skin, and says the change has been surprisingly trouble-free.

"We've had an outpouring of support from the school and other families," she says.

"Just all-around, general understanding and it's like there's no issue at all.

"As the principal of the school and the teachers have said, she's just grown so much as a person."

Her teachers have also noticed that Sammy's ability to learn has improved.

But the supportive and protective environment she currently enjoys at her primary school won't last much longer.

Sammy is in Year 6 and will next year be going to high school.

"I am thinking what's gonna happen in high school," she admits.

Yvonne is particularly concerned considering Sammy also has autism, describing her as gullible and easily led.

"I'm obviously extremely nervous," she says.

"That has been one of my major, major problems for quite some time.

"She's a beautiful little package who only sees the world through rose glasses, so to try and teach her the negative side of the world just doesn't go in."

The transition from Sam to Sammy didn't involve just a different school uniform.

The name change had to be officially authorised through Births, Deaths and Marriages, and permission sought from education authorities.

"It took a while, but it was well worth it because it's been such a positive experience for us," Yvonne says.

"There were nay-sayers of course, within our community."

But she says a presentation from an expert in the field of gender dysphoria answered many people's questions.

There have also been legal and medical considerations, with Sammy's family going to court so she can take drugs known as "puberty blockers".

"Puberty cannot be reversed so unfortunately if puberty starts, that's it, you're stuck with it," Yvonne explains.

She says the medication suspends but doesn't stop puberty, and if Sammy were to stop taking it she would develop masculine traits such as a deeper voice, Adam's apple, facial and body hair and broader jaw and shoulders.

You might think that a son choosing to live as a daughter would cause shockwaves within a family, but that hasn't been the case.

"There was no shock," Yvonne says, adding that her three older children took the news in their stride.

"It just comes down to she is who she is, and who she's always been."

She says it's only Sammy's clothes that are different, her personality and her interests haven't changed.

Yvonne says for years she would lie awake for hours every night worrying about what would happen to Sammy, but is comfortable enough now to even laugh about the situation.

As for Sammy, she hopes to one day meet other kids who've shared her experience.

"Yes, I would like to meet someone that has a similar problem to me," she says.

You can hear Helen Clare's interview with Yvonne and Sammy in the attached audio. Sunday Statewide is broadcast to Newcastle and regional NSW each week from 10am, and you can also listen via our website on abc.net.au/newcastle.