Published on 12, July, 2020
I was just looking up about this (for another post) and thought it may be interesting to have others views of the potential overlap between these 2 conditions.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) stated for years that the two conditions couldn’t be diagnosed in the same person. In 2013, the APA changed its stance. With the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the APA states that the two conditions can co-occur.
In a 2014 review of studies looking at the co-occurrence of ADHD and ASD, researchers found that between 30 to 50 percent of people with ASD also have symptoms of ADHD. Researchers don’t fully understand the cause for either condition, or why they occur together so frequently.
Both conditions may be linked to genetics. One study identified a rare gene that may be linked to both conditions. This finding could explain why these conditions often occur in the same person.
I'm inclined to agree with the concern about putting us in boxes but I'm pretty sure I'm Aspergers and ADHD with their own particular issues that can feed off each other. It doesn't help when we think about the gender issues in play too, across all the neurodiverse options! I'm also increasingly persuaded that there are issues of ASD on my maternal side (both my Mum and Aunt) and ADHD on my paternal side (my Dad and his mother, based on some of the stories about her - I never knew her).
Common as in having both conditions together
I personally think their 2 different things but are maybe common in autistic people. Speaking personally, I dont have many of the ADHD traits but tick most of the asd boxes. My son is the same
Is it just Firefox, or is there anyone else here who can't find the NEW TOPIC button since the recent updates described in the header to this forum? So, as suggested, i decided to look for an existing thread And this one seems as appropriate as any, in as much as it seems to partly address DaveAsperg 's last post. AH! I now notice that a NEW THREAD can be found in each of the 4 forum sections, In fairness, that location is suggested in the updated forum header, but I wonder just how many will pick up on that quickly. I imagine most of us just ignore that header, most of the time. I suppose they want us to be a bit more choosy about where we place our NEW stuff.
This article does ring some quite definite bells in my own experience and my observation of others, but let's see what others make of it.. I have obviously recognised myself in some of this, and so find it constructive. I have been known to say that I lack the Hyperactivity, but then I have read that it is sometimes just rendered as ADD. And on further reflection, i reckon that hyperactivity has been an issue over the years; and perhaps still is sometimes. ;-)
Just the intro and outro quoted below. Link to fuller articles:
https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/blog/diagnosis/are-autism-and-adhd-symptoms-of-the-same-underlying-condition
Also on Learning Disability Today:
https://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/2019/are-autism-and-adhd-symptoms-of-the-same-underlying-condition
Mental Health Today
[Editor's note: Whilst ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorder are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5), their status as mental health conditions is disputed.]
Studies have revealed symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in around two thirds of autistic people. But are autism and ADHD symptoms of the same underlying condition? Academic Dr Simon Bignell has questioned whether autism and ADHD may be “one overarching disorder with a range of subtypes”.
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Bignell believes the preoccupation amongst clinicians with putting people into one box or another is affecting the quality of neurodevelopmental research. Studies on autism will exclude people with other diagnoses so researchers can be sure their findings relate to autism and nothing else.
But this simply means science is now relying on artificially pure research samples that lack the nuance and inconvenient detail of reality. What can this lead to other than flawed conclusions?
“They’re no longer talking about what you and I would perhaps describe as autism. They’re talking about a different construct entirely".
yes, I agree . both my husband and daughter have both these conditions which together cause a lot of difficulty for them and those living with them.
"Both conditions may be linked to genetics..." Well of course they are! Where is the doubt-who has even expressed any on the subject?
I am personally convinced that my parents were both on the ASD Spectrum to some extent and that my father had ADD as well which I have inherited but seem to have a more severe form of as he was quite academic whereas I am not remotely.
( I am also not a violent psycho bully like he was so I should be grateful for that.)
All I know about life with the two conditions is that I end up crashing headlong into one brick wall after another and it has always been this way.
Can't therefore recommend it as a lifestyle choice.