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Autism and ADHD

Deleted User

Hi everyone

I’ve been off my meds for nearly a month now, for the first time since I had my autism diagnosis, and am in the process of getting to know myself again.

Part of that has been to revisit the possibility that I have ADHD, or more specifically ADD, as well. There are many symptoms common to both ADHD and autism though so it’s difficult to tease them apart.

I know there are quite a few AuDHD people on this forum though. So can any of you describe the difference in experience, symptoms and behaviours between “vanilla” autism and AuDHD?

Parents

  • I've done a LOT of self-directed research here, if anyone is interested. 

    I think the easiest way to understand the "Link" between Autism and ADHD is Monotropism.

    We both experience difficulty with executive function and we both have difficulty with a linear time stream. We both have lower "Inhibition" in the brain and difficulty filtering out sense-perception. We both can process at a particularity fantastic speed. 

    We're VERY similar to our ADHD friends. We even team up well. But key differences are quite specific. Does a stimulant make you feel calm, collected, grounded? That's ADHD. Does it feel impossible to interpret and not be misinterpreted N-Typcial society? That's Autism. Do you need to do one thing at a time and finish it or you become hazardous? That's Autism. Are you who we should all rely on in an emergency? That's ADHD. 

    While there's a good deal of research now on the similarities at a biological level, I've found it important to me (personally) to work out if a thing is a genuine difficulty/difference or if I just need to make the extra effort and do the thing I'm too lazy to do which will feel great tomorrow and keep me awake if I don't.  

Reply

  • I've done a LOT of self-directed research here, if anyone is interested. 

    I think the easiest way to understand the "Link" between Autism and ADHD is Monotropism.

    We both experience difficulty with executive function and we both have difficulty with a linear time stream. We both have lower "Inhibition" in the brain and difficulty filtering out sense-perception. We both can process at a particularity fantastic speed. 

    We're VERY similar to our ADHD friends. We even team up well. But key differences are quite specific. Does a stimulant make you feel calm, collected, grounded? That's ADHD. Does it feel impossible to interpret and not be misinterpreted N-Typcial society? That's Autism. Do you need to do one thing at a time and finish it or you become hazardous? That's Autism. Are you who we should all rely on in an emergency? That's ADHD. 

    While there's a good deal of research now on the similarities at a biological level, I've found it important to me (personally) to work out if a thing is a genuine difficulty/difference or if I just need to make the extra effort and do the thing I'm too lazy to do which will feel great tomorrow and keep me awake if I don't.  

Children