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Attention problems (not ADHD)

Inah

Hi, I am newly as well as late diagnosed and since diagnosis I struggle from imposter syndrome. One the reasons is that I don’t have a special interest nor the ability to deep dive due to attention issues. I find it hard to stay focussed on one thing, and that’s even when I do something I like. I also switch routines and obsessions/ short-term interests. So I thought it could be ADHD/ AuDHD, but was found to definitely not have ADHD (went for an assessment). I feel a bit lost because when I google attention problems in autism, AuDHD comes up all the time which seemingly I don’t have, and in most forums people who say they have problems with attention, seem to be able to focus on things they have a special interest in. I am not sure what to do now? Any advice?

Parents

  • AuDHDer here. You can have ADHD and Autism and not be able to focus on special interests. I do have some special interests, like greyhounds, and I get anxiety talking about them because everyone expects the Autistic guy to know EVERYTHING about his special interest lol. I don’t know everything, and for some things I don’t want to know everything yet. It’s also very common to have short bursts of interest that fly from one thing to another. I recently obsessed over the Seattle Sounders soccer team and quickly switched interest again to something else. It happens.

    It’s not a bad idea to consider a second opinion.

  • in reply to profdanger
    profdanger said:
    AuDHDer here. You can have ADHD and Autism and not be able to focus on special interests

    That’s my problem a lot of the time. I have so many interests going on at the moment that I’m not able to focus on the things that I want to do and I loathe inaccuracy, yet that’s the way I’m going at the moment if I don’t get this under control.  Having said that, some interests are less intense but two interests have occupied most of my free time for many years. Autistic individuals and AuDHDers experience their interests in differing ways. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    I can relate to this. I have so many things I’d like to do (including now hanging out here!) that it’s hard to keep up. I think for me, since I am only recently diagnosed, it’s part of finding what I like. My therapist encouraged me to try different things, so that’s me trying different things… Are you autistic and/ or ADHD/ AuDHD?

  • in reply to Inah
    Inah said:
    I have so many things I’d like to do (including now hanging out here!) that it’s hard to keep up

    Haha! That’s me too! 

    I’m diagnosed autistic and on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. I saw an article about AuDHD months ago in the NAS magazine and I recognised so many aspects of having a mix. Most of the time I work away happily on my long term interests but if I stop to do things like replying to an email, and then for instance, might read something online about something else I’m interested in, I can start investigating that and other things, and then I am working at several things together and start making mistakes or missing things. Many of the things that distract me from my long term interests end up being brief interests.  It causes me distress because my autistic perfectionist brain means I desire one thing, but my ADHD brain created chaos and makes me do things badly. 

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  • in reply to Inah
    Inah said:
    I have so many things I’d like to do (including now hanging out here!) that it’s hard to keep up

    Haha! That’s me too! 

    I’m diagnosed autistic and on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. I saw an article about AuDHD months ago in the NAS magazine and I recognised so many aspects of having a mix. Most of the time I work away happily on my long term interests but if I stop to do things like replying to an email, and then for instance, might read something online about something else I’m interested in, I can start investigating that and other things, and then I am working at several things together and start making mistakes or missing things. Many of the things that distract me from my long term interests end up being brief interests.  It causes me distress because my autistic perfectionist brain means I desire one thing, but my ADHD brain created chaos and makes me do things badly. 

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