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ADHD Misdiagnosed?

babzee
over 9 years ago

Hi everyone. I am Babs and new here.  My son is 11 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyspraxia at 6 years. Over the last couple of years I have questioned whether there was something else wrong with him but have been told that the ADHD umbrella contains lots of different problems and that no two ADHD kids are the same. I am still not convinced though.  Has anyone else had this diagnosis and then looked further for an Autism diagnosis?  I need to find a checklist or something that I can compare.  I am 95% sure he should be on the autistic spectrum after reading the signs on the internet.

Cry

Parents
  • over 9 years ago

    I have read that, according to autism expert Tony Attwood, ADHD occurs in 75% of people with Asperger's. In fact, many people with Asperger's have traits of ADHD even if they do not have enough to merit another diagnosis.

    I have a diagnosis of Asperger's, but I have a cousin with ADHD (suggesting some genetic overlap), and when I was a child I was very restless, hyper, and not interested in any work or activities that involved mental effort unless I was interested in the subject. I was also severely disorganised and needed my mum to manage my homework and keep me on task. When I was at school I was disruptive because I never sat still; as an adult I am not hyper anymore, but I still have a lot of energy, and I struggle to organise my life and see the bigger picture.

    What Asperger symptoms does your son have? There is a great deal of overlap between ADHD and Asperger's, but they are different conditions. A person with Asperger's, like a child with ADHD, can have narrow and intense interests and little ability to focus on things outside these interests. But a child with Asperger's primarily struggles with empathy/Theory of Mind, reading body language and understanding double meanings, literal thinking, and they usually need routine in order to function.

    I think it is perfectly possible that your son also has Asperger's or autistic traits, but you will need to ask for an expert assessment. The management of the two conditions can be quite different so diagnosis is important.

     

Reply
  • over 9 years ago

    I have read that, according to autism expert Tony Attwood, ADHD occurs in 75% of people with Asperger's. In fact, many people with Asperger's have traits of ADHD even if they do not have enough to merit another diagnosis.

    I have a diagnosis of Asperger's, but I have a cousin with ADHD (suggesting some genetic overlap), and when I was a child I was very restless, hyper, and not interested in any work or activities that involved mental effort unless I was interested in the subject. I was also severely disorganised and needed my mum to manage my homework and keep me on task. When I was at school I was disruptive because I never sat still; as an adult I am not hyper anymore, but I still have a lot of energy, and I struggle to organise my life and see the bigger picture.

    What Asperger symptoms does your son have? There is a great deal of overlap between ADHD and Asperger's, but they are different conditions. A person with Asperger's, like a child with ADHD, can have narrow and intense interests and little ability to focus on things outside these interests. But a child with Asperger's primarily struggles with empathy/Theory of Mind, reading body language and understanding double meanings, literal thinking, and they usually need routine in order to function.

    I think it is perfectly possible that your son also has Asperger's or autistic traits, but you will need to ask for an expert assessment. The management of the two conditions can be quite different so diagnosis is important.

     

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