People with ASD and ADHD: what are your experiences?

From my own experience of having both they do not cancel each other out. Instead it's like a constant internal conflict and my brain wants two contradictory things at the same time. My autistic side wants routine, structure and predictability but my ADHD side compels me to do anything and it can be completely random that stimulates. but the problem is that i sometimes become overwhelmed or over stimulated by the behaviour caused by the ADHD which result in a chronic autistic meltdown. 

Hyperfocus and fixations in my experience with having both ADHD and Autism is that i think it takes them to a near next level extremes to the point where it's a struggle to turn off at night leading to insomnia. You can remove everything from my bedroom and i will not be able to sleep. i end up laying in bed frustrated for eight hours because i can't sleep.

Hyperfocusing on stuff, even if it's something i am really interested in can be really hit and miss from day to day which makes following a routine difficult. I don't choose what i can focus on instead my brain decides for me. A great example is that i enjoy video games but suddenly after a day or two i can't concentrate enough to play the game and get frustrated as it something i really wanted to do. sometimes its the complete opposite and i become dangerously fixated on a video game to the point where i forget to eat, Drink, sleep and to maintain basic hygiene and the longest this has lasted was five days and the resulting headache and autistic meltdown was huge. You can see why employment may be a struggle.

Unfortunately as a child i wasn't allowed to form a specialised interest because of family problems, They would often stop me from pursuing anything. 

i think it's harder to recognise them when Autism and ADHD are comorbid because individuals like myself seem to be stupidly intelligent at the same time. you often learn growing up to hide the symptoms even though they get you in trouble alot which is why i think a lot of people with both autism and ADHD get PTSD. 

Medications are weird because I don't responded typically to medication used to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia. They seem to make sensory tolerances go out the window so i end up meltdowning a lot. They also make it hard to think, almost like they cause brain fog and slow my ability to think in real time which has an affect on my ability to deal with stress. They also affect my ability to mask my autism related issues such as not showing facial expressions, faking social norms and controlling volume and tone of voice.

Sometimes anxiety medication helps in the short term with anxiety caused by my autism issues but i seem to get tolerant really quickly to them, What often cures my anxiety will often upset my ADHD and cause greater depression. 

I think engaging with other people on the autism spectrum can be super difficult too. for example i can relate to some of the thing individuals with only autism experience but my ADHD behaviour sometimes cause me to confuse them which makes me unpredictable and stressful to some of our community.

memory is also something i have found to be a bit complex, I can remember events from a decade ago to the miner details but ask me to remember anything short term and i can't recall it so easily but if you give me six months to a year let say for example reading a book i will randomly recall the entire paige. 

I get headaches and migraines a lot because of my weird brain wiring and overstimulation. sometimes when i focused on something for too long i get a really negative come down which rapidly depletes my batteries after i stop which is what causing autism meltdown.

I have problems recognising facial expressions to the point before i was diagnosed with either autism and adhd i thought i was a phycopath. I had managed to fake recognising moods through a form of synthesia which causes me to recognise someone state by by the colour i perceived glowing around them. it's not always accurate. I have can perceive a wider range of colour despite being male.    

I have the weirdest sense of smell which i use to recognise people because i'm kinda face blind, like i notice hair differences, make up but can't alway identify some by their face. I have previously recognised that someone with epilepsy is about to have a seizure because their smell changed same when i am round type one diabetics and they going into a hypo episode.     

Impulsivity and autism makes me talk before thinking and i soon later regret what i have said or leads to relationship breakdown or people disliking me and honestly i used to hate this but if someone is bothering me id rather them leave me alone.

I am good with numbers but bad with letters. I am time blind, couldn't tell you how long an activity would take me. I got a good eye for detail but directionally challenged. i have sequencing order problems that making learning to drive problematic but not impossible if i was on ADHD medication.

Do you receive good support from services and what support is helping you

I'm lucky enough to have 2-4 hours of support a week, i also am receiving support from the employment team to find sustainable long term employment other than that i have had very little support.

I'm lucky enough to have 2-4 hours of support a week, i also am receiving support from the employment team to find sustainable long term employment other than that i have had very little support.