Ive got ASD and now recently Joint ADHD

Hi Kenny,

I was recently diagnosed with ASD and through that assessment they noticed some symptoms of ADHD which subsequently led to a diagnosis of ADHD (the Primarily Inattentive or PI type). I've been on stimulant medication (Elvanse which is a type of amphetamine) for about 3 months or so and it has helped me immensely.

The medication has hugely helped with sustained focus, with the knock-on effect that it's easier for me to overcome that sort of 'inertia' you can get where beginning something seems to take a disproportionate amount of energy. Difficult things have seemed less overwhelming and when I've been presented with something difficult or new (for example in my music production) I've had the energy to slow down and approach things step-by-step to achieve what I've needed to do. In the past I would have tried to find easy shortcuts and found a way round the difficult things by doing them 'nearly right' - that's difficult to explain really.

One thing I've noticed is that having the meds to lift some of the ADHD difficulties has left me feeling like I don't have the same counter-balance to some of my ASD characteristics. I've found it difficult to judge when I'm taking on too much or when I'm getting some of the sensory overload and autistic overwhelm. One thing that might be affecting that is the way the meds have made some of my sense more acute - sounds and tastes seem to be a bit more intense, but not in an unpleasant way! I'm getting better at recognising where the balance lies and not beating myself up too much when I need to slow down. On the whole though, the meds have been life changing. I feel so much happier even though I'm still adjusting to the new way of life.

Hi Kenny,

I was recently diagnosed with ASD and through that assessment they noticed some symptoms of ADHD which subsequently led to a diagnosis of ADHD (the Primarily Inattentive or PI type). I've been on stimulant medication (Elvanse which is a type of amphetamine) for about 3 months or so and it has helped me immensely.

The medication has hugely helped with sustained focus, with the knock-on effect that it's easier for me to overcome that sort of 'inertia' you can get where beginning something seems to take a disproportionate amount of energy. Difficult things have seemed less overwhelming and when I've been presented with something difficult or new (for example in my music production) I've had the energy to slow down and approach things step-by-step to achieve what I've needed to do. In the past I would have tried to find easy shortcuts and found a way round the difficult things by doing them 'nearly right' - that's difficult to explain really.

One thing I've noticed is that having the meds to lift some of the ADHD difficulties has left me feeling like I don't have the same counter-balance to some of my ASD characteristics. I've found it difficult to judge when I'm taking on too much or when I'm getting some of the sensory overload and autistic overwhelm. One thing that might be affecting that is the way the meds have made some of my sense more acute - sounds and tastes seem to be a bit more intense, but not in an unpleasant way! I'm getting better at recognising where the balance lies and not beating myself up too much when I need to slow down. On the whole though, the meds have been life changing. I feel so much happier even though I'm still adjusting to the new way of life.