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What impact does an autism diagnosis have on an ADHD diagnosis?

netsukeinro

I was diagnosed autistic around this time last year. It's been great being able to understand myself a little better, but I have been increasingly struggling with being unable to organise myself and losing things everywhere. I took the Adult ADHD Self Screening Tool and met the threshold for symptoms of ADHD so I'm now looking to a referral for an assessment. My main question is, will it be difficult to get an ADHD diagnosis if I already have an autism one? If I explain my symptoms to my GP, how likely is it that they'll just say its the autism? And is it worth it to get a referral with wait times being so long and since I'm leaving my city for university next year? Wondering if anyone else has had the same experience and can give me advice.

  • netsukeinro said:
    My main question is, will it be difficult to get an ADHD diagnosis if I already have an autism one?

    Not at all. It’s far from uncommon for us to also have ADHD. Whilst it’s not an official term, a shorthand name for both being autistic and having ADHD is “AuDHD” - which you might have seen mentioned, for example, on social media.  

    NAS - Related conditions

    Neurodivergent Insights - ADHD And Autism: How ADHD And Autism Are Related

    netsukeinro said:
    If I explain my symptoms to my GP, how likely is it that they'll just say its the autism?

    They should already be well aware that it’s quite common to have both. 

    I‘d suggest sharing the results from your self-screening tool with them, along with a list of the symptoms that you feel suggest ADHD. If you’re not already referring to the ASRS v1.1, then I’d suggest also completing that, which you can find here:

    Embrace Autism - ASRS v1.1

    netsukeinro said:
    And is it worth it to get a referral with wait times being so long and since I'm leaving my city for university next year?

    If you live in England, then you can exercise your legal right to use the Right to Choose pathway (RTC), which offers access to certain, approved, private assessment providers who typically have much shorter waiting times than the NHS, but with your assessment still fully funded by the NHS.

    You might find the information here helpful:

    ADHDadultUK

    ADHD UK