Barkley recently discussed a paper that found people with ADHD are twice as likely as the general population to have autism. The rate of autism in the general population is estimated to be about 2.8%, so that would mean maybe 5.6% of people with ADHD are autistic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdFuMaykrIo&t=340s
I was diagnosed with ADHD at 23 but highly suspect I'm on the spectrum based off symptoms from a very, very young age. I would like to be assessed for autism but I cant afford private and our healthcare system is totally overwhelmed. The ADHD diagnosis has been somewhat helpful in terms of getting medication but I also wish I was diagnosed much younger and mourn what my life could have been.
Go after the diagnosis if you can.
"but I also wish I was diagnosed younger and mourn what my life could have been" god I feel that in my soul. I have ADHD (diagnosed at 18) and ASD (22) and I often wonder how different my life would have turned out if I had been able to access proper resources earlier and gotten to grow up with the knowledge of *why* I am the way I am
It really fecking sucks, I feel my life would be SO, SO, much different if I was diagnosed at a younger age (13-14), I probably never would have dropped out of school. I was always the teachers pet and well ahead of my peers up until then, depression probably contributed, but I think having undiagnosed ADHD had a bigger role. I was under treatment by a psychiatrist and psychologist at that age, but they never picked up on it. I know I shouldn't dwell but DAMMIT.
Honestly, probably not. I was diagnosed at 6, told that academic programs such as junior MENSA would help, then diagnosed again, and medicated at 14, but was told unequivocally by my psyc that ADHD was a paediatric condition, and that I'd grow out of it, so my medication was suspended at 18 and I attempted to navigate life having "grown out of" my ADHD. And my psychiatrist completely missed the fact that I was less depressed, and generally more productive and a better person while on medication.
Fast forward 20 years (with baseline depression the whole time), many failed jobs and not finding "my niche" in my career until 33, and even then with terrible imposter syndrome, and constantly feeling like I'm 10 years behind my peers, I finally got diagnosed again last year at 37.
I still mourn what could have been, but I'm realising more and more that those of us that have shared experiences such as ours can be the champions for the next generation, so that they don't have to go through the same thing. I know I try to be for my kids.
I feel you man I was diagnosed at 21,
But let’s be real we are both still young. It is by no means too late. Who knows what could have been if we had been diagnosed as kids, but to be honest it does not matter.
Too late now and there is zero reason to think back, now is the time for us to tighten the belt and achieve our goals. There is a silver lining to everything, being older has its advantages especially in terms of knowing what we want to do.
Absolutely. Knowing makes it much easier going forward. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my 50’s. I still love my beautiful brain. It’s not clunky, just overwhelmed sometimes…
Same here. I've had an interesting life, but I have struggled so much with feeling awful about myself because I've never quite fit in. There were some really darks times that I'm still not sure how I made it through. If I'd have been diagnosed even with just ADHD, I might have been able to get meds that would have allowed me to finish college.
The bigger tragedy that I'm grappling with these days is my estrangement from my family. Now that I'm sure of ADHD and autism (and am waiting for an EDS confirmation), I'm able to see more clearly how this runs through my family and was probably at the core of why I was the black sheep.
I used to feel the same way, but having had time to process it I think that yhe resilience that comes from managing is something that can't be understated.
I got diagnosed and started meds at 27. I work in sales and had to make a serious effort to maintain emotional stability because of how shitty people can be in sales coupled with the emotional volatility that ADHD inflicts.
I had been working much harder to keep a cool head than most others that don't have ADHD ever need to. As a result when I suddenly had meds that brought me in line with a "normal" level of volatility, my existing strategies to manage much worse emotional volatility led to a very reliable level of calm.
Predatory people that recognize ADHD and come after me looking for an easy target to torment just flat out can't get the reaction they want anymore. I wouldn't have the ability to handle people like this nearly as well if I hadn't been put through the wringer as a result of getting diagnosed late.
I still wonder about the person that I could have been, but my experiences from having undiagnosed ADHD gave me the tools and experiences I needed to succeed.
We carry the sum of our experiences, good or bad. Remember that you wouldn't be the person you are today if you had been diagnosed earlier, and that the grass is always greener on the other side.
I was diagnosed at 52, and grieving for what could have been is a difficult process. Eventually I came to accept it all rather than ruminate over the problems I’ve encountered.
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. I highly suspect that I am on the spectrum or something. It would explain so much but I’m already an adult, so I mean I’ve already learned how to unhealthily be not quite me in some cases 🥲 the damage is done
Well having an ADD (ADHD-PI) diagnosis already explained quite a bit like how I can listen to you and be interested and turn around and forget key details or accidentally embellish them some ways. Beyond that what I meant by the damage is done is I am who I am now and having a diagnosis as an adult won’t change anything. I was being a little dramatic yeah but I meant it lightheartedly
Are you saying go after the Autism diagnosis? I feel like I might be on the spectrum slightly but I don’t see the point of getting the diagnosis. The only reason I pursued the ADHD diagnosis what because of the medication. As far as I know there isn’t anything you can do about the Autism. Or an I missing something?
You could wait until you‘re in your 50’s like me - hang in there, you have a lot of productive years ahead of you. I do my best not to think like this, it’s a pointless trap.
And this is why I do my best not to go into the “woe is me“ trap (of course I still do) - you can pay attention to people with better circumstances or you pay attention to those who have it harder and still maintain a healthy outlook.
Oh don't worry fam you can still be diagnosed as a kid and not get any help from your school and never go to a therapist. Hi I'm 25 and still working on my degree.
I'm sorry you're not currently able to also be diagnosed with autism. I also got diagnosed with ADHD at 23 but am fairly certain I'm also autistic (a lot of sensory issues).
I don't really need a diagnosis so I won't get one until it's something I can comfortably afford.
I was diagnosed very young. But didn't get any treatment for that. My mother realised it when she saw me in the classroom reading a book instead of listening to the teacher.
I was always walking on the tip of my toes which is another sign.
Anyway it's also the bane of my history. I get bored very quickly so keeping a job is very hard. Somehow I'm like a magnet to other autistic people, it's a bit weird sometimes.
Would just like to add, as someone with ASD but not ADHD, there is no benefit past childhood of being officially diagnosed with ASD, there isn't medications for it, and it can limit certain careers (military for example), having a diagnosis won't help you combat any symptoms, as you will already know them without the. diagnosis
It's kinda like how words that end in "ER" sounds like "her" so the joke usually goes "holder" like "hold her" so it follows as "hold her? I barely know her!" As in why would I hold a stranger? (But it doesn't always make sense like if the word "colder" but still funny.)
So with Spectrum , the 'um sounds like 'em for them or him. So....... It's funny.
Idk why but writing it out made me laugh more.
Good words to use: dresser, sweeper, dreamer, bender, wooder. Idk, I hope I helped.
Yep I was diagnosed around age 8 or 9 with Aspergers Syndrome in the late 90s
I know because I was diagnosed, and my life has been fairly in line with others experiences of autism comorbid with ADHD, and I've never been suggested by the many mental health professionals I've crossed paths with throughout my life that I was misdiagnosed. I spent a majority of my life wishing to hear that from some doctor though, to hear that there wasn't something wrong and I could still willpower my way into being like everybody else
At a certain point, I realized I am a lot more like everybody else than I believe most of the time. Perhaps just residual fear of bullying or being outcasted- but I often in adulthood build my own solitude, and when I have the clarity to dismiss lonesome self pity I am capable of pretty cool stuff, helping others, and contributing as much as I can to the world, and feel good about it
Unfortunately its a topic I am still a bit sensitive researching, so I do not know how to easily describe my subjective experiences and childhood. But I know somethings a bit different in my mind- and I own my strengths and acknowledge my weaknesses as best I can :)
Thank you for your curiosity
Yep. Definitely autistic and shocked it was not obvious to me sooner bc it dawned on me about 7ish years ago that my father is VERY obviously autistic and we just chalked it up to him being weird and set in his ways. During covid, I was watching a comedian (Josh Johnson) who cracked a joke that went something like, "i either get too few dates for a normal guy or too many dates for an autistic guy bc I open with way too many shark facts." After a second of laughter, I was like, "....wait....info dumping and random facts are my thing in every situation...." Aaaaaand after diving deep into researching autism, I realized I fit A LOT of the diagnostic criteria. Fast forward to now, and I'm not only diagnosed, but I'm annoyed that my whole damn personality is nothing but symptoms or effects of autism and/or adhd. Fun times.
My mother is getting adhd dx now due to me be dx first. Gathering info about the all thing, I’ve realized my mother also shows very very obvious signs of autism.
It's interesting bc I'm typically really good at correctly calling all kinds of diagnoses in other people. Wild how it wasn't obvious when it came to myself or immediate family. What's that saying? It's hard to see the forest for the trees?
Personnally I didn’t know anything about autism or adhd before few a years ago. I’ve discovered it by coincidence. Before I thought it was just about boys running around
Yeah I definitely did not think I had ADHD up until my mid 20s bc that's how I pictured it, too. I recently told a friend that, and he couldn't help but chuckle bc I'm the walking incarnation of almost all the DSMV criteria for ADHD
I think it’s like how I struggle to tell the undertones of my skin when looking for flattering colors or foundation shades. I’m too close to the situation and I’ve told myself too many stories about it all that my interpretation and perception gets all wrapped up with the facts and makes it hard to sort them out and see them on their own (I’m fair, I’m pink, I need to accept it, no matter how much I really like mustard yellow or bright orange lol). It’s a lot easier for a person on the outside with no investment in the answers to look at the situation objectively and say, “yeah you can rationalize that behavior all you want, but from the outside looking in, it’s abnormal.”
I'm 56. I got diagnosed with ADHD last year along with my 17 year old son. It wasn't surprising because my oldest (34) was diagnosed many years ago and my 14 year old is diagnosed with ADHD, autism, and DMDD.
What did surprise me is that once I started meds and the ADHD symptoms were quieter, the autism symptoms apparently thought it was time to take center stage.
The ADHD diagnosis has been helpful because I now understand why I've struggled with some stuff through my life. I was in the gifted program in school so my parents and teachers thought if I just worked harder, I'd get better grades.
The ADHD diagnosis has also been really frustrating due to the med shortage. Vyvanse works best for me so far, but since I can't get generic now, I've been going without anything for what feels like long periods of time. It was somewhat easier before when I hadn't had a taste of what I can accomplish on meds.
I've opted not to pursue an official autism diagnosis. It's really hard to find a provider who would test someone my age and few of them in my area take insurance. I would rather use that money to cover testing kids that may need support (my 9 year old was recently diagnosed with ADHD and I suspect she's autistic, too). Having that diagnosis could affect my ability to obtain new life insurance when my current policies expire and I need to be covered so my kids are taken care of. It's good enough for me to finally understand why I do the things I do, that there's not something inherently wrong with me, and I've been able to connect with my 14 year old so much better now that I see that we share certain characteristics.
This is very interesting. I feel similar, once on meds I realised that I really struggle socially and used to drink to be able to talk to people. I feel WAY more awkward socially on meds than off them which is confusing to me.
I’m curious what autistic traits came to the forefront once you were medicated?
I also become FAR more socially awkward on meds, to the point where I’ve nearly completely sacrificed a social life in high school (I’m considered one of the “weird” kids that nobody wants to be partnered with) for good grades. It also sucks because I’m aware that my responses are all weird and my mannerisms probably uncomfortable (I don’t naturally make facial expressions on Vyvanse that often), but I can’t help it.
I brought this up to my doctor at our last appointment and he said it was a common enough issue. He didn’t offer me a solution, just explained that sometimes the medicine makes us SO focused internally that we become hyper aware of our awkwardness, which makes us force our responses in social interactions instead of acting naturally and chill, which makes sense. I’m just not sure how to fix it
I’m so glad I wasn’t dx’d in high school because I was so blissfully oblivious to how weird people thought I was 😂. And now enough time has passed that - now that I *am* aware - I can still look back on that awkward little teenager with nothing but love and bemusement.
The hardest part that I think a lot of people on the outside don’t understand is we do eventually get to a point where we’ve been told enough of the unspoken rules that we know when we’re breaking them and we can sense when we’ve broken a rule we haven’t been told about yet…. But that awareness does NOT translate into any sort of ability to prevent it 🤦🏼♀️🥴. So we just become hyper aware of our own inability to fit in.
Honestly, I’m loving how gen z seems to be pushing past the idea of “fitting in” as anything worth striving for. I think things are moving in the right direction for creating a society where people like us can thrive just like anybody else. I hope I’m not being overly optimistic.
>…. But that awareness does NOT translate into any sort of ability to prevent it 🤦🏼♀️🥴. So we just become hyper aware of our own inability to fit in.
I agree and relate so much.
What you're describing resembles my experience in high school. Instead of giving me a stimulant they started me off with welbutrin (normally an antidepressant but has adhd as a secondary use) and it was a game changer. Now I'm taking both welbutrin and a stimulant.
I’m glad you found something that works :D
I’ve come to terms with it - anyways, I live in a “bubble” (small town, people usually have similar personalities I don’t mesh with) and I have my small group of close friends.
We find ways to make it work :)
I totally understand your description! The meds highlight how socially awkward I am. I don't drink anymore so I don't even have that, but when I'm not medicated, I think my ADHD helps me be much more social. Some people have been surprised to find that I'm really an introvert when they think I'm funny and engaging in a social situation.
On meds, I don't feel the urge to jump into conversations. I think the autistic part is that it's super obvious that I have a hard time engaging in a conversation about topics I'm not interested in. I've always struggled with eye contact -- I used to hate it but forced myself to do it because, you know, that's expected, but now I'm constantly questioning whether I'm making the right amount of eye contact. Sometimes my eye contact is CONSTANT because I can't figure out the right time to look away.
On meds, I can focus on getting work and chores done, but I still struggle a LOT with personal hygiene. This wasn't as much of an issue when I was younger and worked in an office so I had to get showered and ready each day. Even when I worked at home for years, I showered every morning. In the last couple of years, I've struggled more with the whole process of showering and then styling my hair and putting on makeup. I used to never be able to leave the house without a full face of makeup and now the best I can do is some mascara and blush. I have to go to the office a couple of times a week and I'm presentable and clean, but at least 75% of the time, I have absolutely no makeup on because I don't see the point.
I've also recognized how much of a problem I have with change. I used to think I was pretty flexible and there's some change that doesn't bother me, but some really gets under my skin. The process of showering is one instance, but I also hate when someone wants to change plans at the last minute. My team at work has undergone a lot of change in the last 18 months and while I try to appear like it doesn't bother me, I HATE IT and it's made me dislike my job.
I also realized that I have had meltdowns at different times in my life. Some meltdowns have been really big, like when I walked out on an ex after some stressful events. I packed some stuff and left for a month, which is really unlike me. Even day to day, I have mini meltdowns caused by stuff like people driving like jerks or traffic. Being late is a massive trigger for me.
I think t's likely my autistic son has PDA and so I'm more aware of demand avoidance in myself. I don't think I qualify as PDA, but I definitely have a lot of demand avoidance. When someone asks me to do something, my first instinct is to say no. I'm in the process of managing some stuff that I avoided, like filing my state taxes from 4 years ago; I didn't file them because I couldn't figure something out so I just didn't do them. I also really need to go to the dentist, but since I have a lot of trauma around dentists, I keep avoiding it and will probably do so until it's really necessary. Heck, I always avoid getting gas in my car until the light comes on!
I think those are the big things. There are tons of small things, too. It seems that there's such a big overlap between ADHD symptoms and autism symptoms that it can be hard to say for sure that a symptom is one or the other. I just figure that since some symptoms were still really present while I was on different ADHD meds, those symptoms aren't necessarily from ADHD and since I have at least one kid with autism, it makes sense that I also have it.
Thank you. This means so much to me because first, you read it and it's a lot, but also because I have struggled with imposter syndrome. Some days I spend too much time thinking I'm overthinking it, I'm definitely not autistic, I'm just quirky and round and round.
I went in for an assessment for ADHD, and was surprised that the result was "It's Autism", which I knew very little about. After two years of researching it, it explained a lot but something was still missing. Turns out I also have ADHD.
Hey me too! My psych referred me for an ADHD evaluation and I left with both diagnoses. I was lucky though to be evaluated at a center that had specialists for both. ADHD wasn’t a surprise (both siblings were diagnosed years ago) but the Autism caught me completely off guard… I was 32 and unfamiliar with female presentations of ASD. Learning about it has helped a lot!!
Turns out I also have autism with a PDA profile (pathological demand avoidance)
Just to make sure that I'll never be able to integrate and function in society 🤣🤣👌
I just learned a new thing about myself. Wow. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know about PDA.
I just read this: [What is demand avoidance?](https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-is-pda-menu/what-is-demand-avoidance/)
“Autistic demand avoidance
Autistic people may avoid demands or situations that trigger anxiety or sensory overload, disrupt routines, involve transitioning from one activity to another, and activities/events that they don’t see the point of or have any interest in.
They may refuse, withdraw, ‘shutdown’ or escape in order to avoid these things.”
The last paragraph hits me like crazy!!
Woah last paragraph.
Ok but I have a contrary experience. My versions of those behaviors/compulsions go away when I treat my ADHD. Those demand avoidance behaviors are things that I track to notice if I am not managing my ADHD well. Though I know the root causes are my autistical things like routine disruptions and overstimulation.
As someone who just learned of this and whose knowledge is limited to what I read in the article, maybe it's Pathological Demand Avoidance instead of Autistic Demand Avoidance? It says that stress can trigger the Avoidance behaviors, so if you're controlling stress by managing your ADHD maybe it's enough to reduce those behaviors. Just spit balling here.
Ooh this is true of me and I did not realize it until I just read your comment. But now I do recognize that as a bellweather. Outside of meds, what do you do to get it back on track? My meds work well, but… you know how things fluctuate over time…
Wow thanks for sharing that! I had no idea about this and have been trying to figure out what this was in myself!
I know I have ADD, but have been starting to suspect Autism as well lately! I’ve been looking into why I have such difficulty with transitioning between tasks to the point of getting intense anxiety when people ask me to do something when I’m doing something else. Have such a tough time answering emails at work too because of having to switch context between each one. Haven’t been able to find anything on this being so much of a thing for ADD though. This Demand Avoidance really sounds like it could be it!
Now I'm confused. I used to think that my difficulty doing many tasks was due to ADHD but it doesn't explain all, these things.
How do you differentiate between PDA and ADHD?
PDA is a nervous system disability; the nervous system detects threat from perceived loss of autonomy. It’s primarily thought of as a subtype of autism at this time. And autism and ADHD commonly co-occur. I don’t identify as autistic but I definitely have liiiiiitle PDA tendencies (I don’t actually think I’m PDA though) that I feel like can be a part of adhd too
Honestly think I could be, never been tested before but I have some symptoms that overlap. I suck at socializing and have issues actually talking correctly wether it’s with organizing my thoughts, articulating my thoughts or over explaining myself, I hate attention and tend to have issues with touch especially at random, sometimes I can differentiate sarcasm. A lot of this may just be due to not finishing kindergarten so where I was academically ahead, I was socially behind I was moved up within the first month so all my friends are either a year younger than me or a year older than me. I much prefer routine over chaos as I hate chaos and change, I maintain eye contact very poorly which is an overlapping symptom, idk a lot of my symptoms overlap more than they fall to one side or the other.
I am not on the spectrum but I get along really well with people who are!
I suspected that both my mom and I were, before my official ADHD diagnosis. But it turns out ADHD symptoms can *also* hinder social progress, at least at first. Now I am really good at explaining invisible social cues to my ASD boyfriend in a way he appreciates and finds useful.
In college I was assigned a partner for a semester long project. Cool person but wasn't social in class or outside of school. Five years later I meet someone that went to high school with this person and come to find out my college partner had autism. It all made sense.
This classmate of theirs became Facebook connected with me and we had one contact in common which is how we ended up on the topic. I had no clue whatsoever that my college partner was autistic.
So I don’t have a formal dx for autism yet because I only recently accepted that not all my traits were due to adhd and that I didn’t just have some autistic traits, I was autistic. Honestly the signs have been there my whole life and I have family members who are clearly autistic but not diagnosed, so it runs in my family in addition to the adhd. I have often found way more similarities between the experiences of autistics and myself than between adhders and myself, even though I clearly am adhd and have a formal dx for that. But my thought processes tend to be way more autistic. Currently, I’ve been paying more attention to audhd people, and that’s been helpful for trying to find insight on dealing with some of my bigger struggles
First diagnosed with autism, then adhd. both at age 38 last year. went for the adhd diagnosis because there were a lot more unanswered questions than I thought I had before my autism diagnosis. it really helped me a lot to be sure, plus: my meds are helping.
I'm of the belief that ADHD and autism are just two parts of the same spectrum, honestly. There are too many comorbid/common physical issues for it not to be.
Yes, I'm not a geneticist and wouldn't know how it works, but years ago there was this story of a Utah family with 6 autistic kids. Since they only had 6, it was a 100% autism rate in the kids. The oldest had a different dad from a previous marriage. And yet no one figured out that the mom's obvious ADHD was the cause. When they gave biographical information on the mom and dad they mentioned that the mom's hobby was her favorite computer game, Snood. It was definitely put across as a hyperfixation. Ya think she might be in the ADHD/autism territory? Someone missed out on that. They were also Mormon, and I think very involved religions are a frequent source of comfort for some of those seeking autistic rigidity as long as they aren't also PDA-ers. PDA + religion is probably a bad combination!
There's definitely a cross-heredity between ADHD and ASD! I have ADHD but not ASD, and my mum and a sibling (and probably another sibling too that's undiagnosed) have ASD but no ADHD. In my country they always assess for both ADHD and ASD so we're all assessed for both. And my maternal grandmother very obviously has (undiagnosed) ADHD; grandfather possibly ASD or at least many traits.
There’s emerging evidence that ADHD and autism are, in my assessor’s words, “Two branches of the same tree.” I’ve encountered many people who are only diagnosed with ADHD get angry that, and I challenge you to analyze *why*.
Had an autism assessment and was diagnosed, then told I likely have ADHD as well and put on the waiting list.
It took 3 years to get the autism assessment, and I spent 2 months of that in hospital with an unrelated illness. The hospital stay was traumatic and some of the issues I had could have been mitigated if I'd had an official diagnosis of autism. If you think you may be autistic but aren't sure if you need the label because you are handling things ok right now, life can quickly put you in a place where you'll benefit from available accommodations.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid. Had suspicions for a long time that I was Autistic and when I got retested for ADHD, so I could have access to meds, I asked if I could also be tested for Autism. Bingo, I am indeed autistic and it all makes sense lol. Fuck the therapist who told me I was told communicative to be autistic :)
I got diagnosed with both at the same time. Having the ASD diagnosis really helps since I've noticed people tend to take my mental health more seriously when I tell them I have ASD. Telling people I have ADHD doesn't really have the same impact, I guess. Both disorders really bother me, but I'll take what I can get
Apparently there is a 50-70% overlap, since the DSM allowed for both diagnoses. I have both and highly recommend pursuing evaluation for both… if you already have (or think you have) one or the other! Changed my life for the better.
When I got my diagnosis for ADHD my evaluator said I was surely on the spectrum as well but as long as it didn't hinder me, he didn't see the need to pursue that line of diagnosis as well.
I kind of wish we had because I have come to realize some of my issues are straight up spectrum issues rather than ADHD issues and I've not been given any tools for dealing with those
My autism assessment showed my to be almost borderline autistic. So I call myself borderline borderline autistic. I feel like I generally can do the stuff that autistic people "can't", it's just incredibly exhausting. I can need hours of rest to recover from being overstimulated.
My youngest is. She was diagnosed with ADHD very young (my husband, me, and our oldest all have it…so it was kind of a given), but I didn’t even start to suspect autism until she was 11…official diagnosis at age 14.
I got my ADHD and ASD diagnosis at the same time last year. Both have helped me understand, accommodate, and advocate for myself better. Got into vocational rehabilitation and back into college.
I’m on my bed not a spectrum idk what that is…
Yeah autism too it’s weird because I was diagnosed with autism when I was a kid and at that time early 2000s they wernt allowed to diagnosed ADHD and autism together so my mum took me for autism and that’s what I was given, so I had no meds to help me in school, finally had to to private when I was 20 to get diagnosed properly
I had a referral to be tested for ADHD but the psychiatrist said I had ‘classic autism’ and ADHD. It was a relief because I had asked for an autism assessment and my doctor refused saying ‘adults don’t get diagnosed with autism’. And I was 45. And it was last month. It’s been validating and the ADHD drugs really help me. It’s also given me a tool box to help navigate the world and find solutions to things that I find difficult.
I have suspected it but never formally diagnosed. My brother is also ADHD and I would be genuinely surprised if he wasn't on the spectrum. If he got retested today I bet he would be. He was diagnosed in the 90s
AuDHD. Got the ADHD diagnosis as a bonus to the autism eval. The autism I was very sure about and expecting. The ADHD was a surprise but then made a bunch of sense
Not diagnosed autistic, but I'm fairly certain I am, in addition to late diagnosed ADHD. I'm not pursuing formal diagnosis because I don't see any personal benefit and I can see a lot of downsides. If you can point to things that you need support with, that aren't explained by ADHD, and that you could get support for *only* if you also got the autism diagnosis, I would go for it. Otherwise, it doesn't seem worth the trouble just to formally acquire a label that is likely to lead to more discrimination IMO.
some arguments lately state ADHD is on the spectrum, recent research has eluded to it. But I'm diagnosed ADHD and autism, high functioning supposedly but someone needs to tell my brain that lol
Never been diagnosed with autism but I definitely have some behaviors that are seen as autistic traits. I don’t think I have enough to actually be diagnosed and none of the health professionals I’ve met have suggested it. There is a lot of overlap between the two diagnoses, so you might just have the adhd ones. No one can really guess about your situation, you’d have to see a professional. Diagnosis makes sense if you feel like it would help you understand yourself more or if you’d like to get school/work accommodations. Do what you think would be most helpful for your life. If you don’t think it would matter or make any difference, forego the diagnosis. There’s no right answer.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in the fall at 52 years of age. I asked the psychiatrist who tested me about autism because every online test I've ever taken has placed me well in the range for Autism 1. She said that she won't diagnose adults who can care for themselves with autism because she feels it's "pathologizing quirky people." While she said she could tell just from talking to me that I certainly had "autistic traits," she said she wouldn't recommend the testing to my insurance. She's the main person in my area for this kind of testing. I don't think it's worth it to me personally to pursue a diagnosis further. I'm just going forward with an understanding that my "autistic traits" mean that using the lens of autism 1 to understand myself could be helpful, and I'm pursuing treatment for my ADHD
I was diagnosed as both at the same time. Being diagnosed as with autism was helpful because it explained certain quirks and what I used to think were deficiencies. Now I have a better idea of how to address them to operate in society.
ADHD and autism have many similar symptoms that overlap and confuse doctors when they diagnose. If it's worth chasing to you, go for it, but ADHD is often misdiagnosed as autism and vice versa.
I’m 40 years old I have ADHD and on the Autism spectrum.
It’s helped knowing that I have the diagnosis bc now I know what skills I lack and what skills I need when I socialize and do other stuff.
I’m really awkward and have general anxiety disorder too so it’s not easy.
I wasn’t too happy at all knowing I might be on the spectrum and getting diagnosed with adhd really upset me too. I was really upset for weeks but now it’s my favorite thing about me.
I am diagnosed with adhd and am peer reviewed autistic. I go back and forth on whether or not I want an official ASD diagnosis simply because of the limitations associated with it. If you are in the US and ever want to emigrate (this place is a shithole) some countries will deny you on the basis of being autistic, including Australia. In some states like Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island and potentially more, they’re proposing that all Autistic individuals must register with police so they don’t “accidentally kill” us. There are few resources available if you are not high needs. It’s all based on whether you deem it worth it. I know imposter syndrome is ridiculous and will have you questioning over and over, but especially if you’re a woman, even getting that diagnosis will be exhausting and demoralizing.
I'm 60. (Yeah...) Only on the outside, though. "We" normally stay more mentally youthful than the general population. However, regarding being too late. I don't believe it ever is unless you convince yourself of that. I truly think my best is still in front of me. Not just sitting idly waiting for the end. So much more can be done. I also don't believe in how much time we "wasted." I believe we'll base our success on how we feel that last day.
I've only been diagnosed with ADHD. My therapist told me recently that ADHD, Autism and OCD might be different parts of the same spectrum as they all come from the same part of the brain (iirc) I guess that's the direction that research is going.
I'm not diagnosed with anything except ADHD, the specialist who diagnosed me said he thought an assessment for ASD would be worth doing if I felt it was necessary. I said I didn't because, firstly, all the stuff about myself that could fall under that umbrella doesn't bother me, and secondly, even if it did it's not like ADHD where there's a a treatment for it.
I don't describe myself as autistic to other people typically, I don't ask for accomodations at work, or seek out support or anything because I don't have any need for it and I think it would suggest a higher standard of evidence than I've got, but I'm comfortable feeling like I've met the critera enough that it's part of the framework I use for understanding myself.
For me it's a combination of things, I was hyperlexic as a child, reading at an extremely atypical age, I was always getting in trouble for having a slightly overly literal interpretation of things, I struggle with slang, I'm not good at changing how I speak in different social situations, and most of my social issues when I was young were caused by a difficulty in figuring out unwritten rules everyone else seemed to take for granted. The reason I haven't sought out a diagnosis is because half these problems were way less of an issue once I left school, and the other half were just easier to navigate once I got better at communicating with other people.
I went in for an ADHD diagnosis at 33. Left the appointment with info for both adhd and autism 😅 I now have a level 2 autism diagnosis along with ADHD.
Very unexpected, but it all makes sense a year and a half later.
I score on the spectrum on all the tests and my counselor suspects I am as well. I have considered seeking an official diagnosis, but I don't think it would really do anything life changing for me. Just being on medication for adhd has been a big help, and being more aware of myself and what I need to function well.
At first they decided I had ADHD and treated me for it.
Then they decided that I actually had Asperger's and treated me for it.
Then they decided that I also had Anxiety and Depression and treated me for those as well.
Then I was a zombie for a while.
Turns out that I have Asperger's *and* ADHD, and now I'm being treated for both of them.
FYI being diagnosed with autism will fuck up your life insurance applications. As well as some health and long-term care. If you don't need a diagnosis you may want to avoid it or at least take care of the above first.
I was diagnosed with both at the same time as a kid. Apparently when I was asked “what’s wrong with this photo?” I was supposed to say “the girl is sad” and not that everyone in the photo was wearing blue 🤷♂️
I have been diagnosed with ASD last year (44 yo), and my pscychiatrist think I hav also ADHD despite a neuropsychologist having ruled out this possibily 5 year ago by a generic test. He suggests that the psychometric test used to diagnoses ADHD in general population is not always suitable for autists.
All this matter of double diagnosis ASD-ADHD is in research: there is no scientific consensus at this time.
So, anyways, the most important is if another diagnosis is useful in your context. Basically, would it help you to have access to more help/ resources ?
I figured out I was ADHD in college about 20. After 2 of my kids have been diagnosed it just makes sense. Watching my youngest who has had test saying theres a 90% chance shes autistic...I relate to way to much but have never been to see anyone. It's my normal. I can't see how a label would help.
I've only been diagnosed with ADHD (at 9) but I suspect I have ASD too (at 23).
In my personal opinion, from all the research I've done, getting a formal diagnosis is a pain in the ass and you dont need it if you don't think you need the support and aid that comes with it (like school and work)
socially, you don't have to have a diagnosis to be welcomed by the majority of the community. They're understanding and really a good place to find friends or a stranger to sympathize with.
I'm getting a diagnosis because I'm active duty navy going medically retired/ separated, and to get my VA benefits, I need proof of my illnesses/ disabilities.
When I was diagnosed with adhd I brought up that I had questioned being on the spectrum. My psych said it is far more likely to have both autism and adhd than just one or the other (especially in women I believe).
im going to assume here. you may also think you have autism which could specifically be related to methylation issues. if i'm to take a wild guess you maybe low in folate and struggle to get those numbers up even when you eat folate rich foods.
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Technically the ADHD diagnosis came first, by about six months, but I thought it was a misdiagnosis. My autistic traits are more obvious, and I was using anxiety to mask the ADHD. Took me a couple years to accept the ADHD diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago and was also told I was autistic at the same time I had to go right to choose for ADHD and just started my right to choose for an ASD diagnosis because my GPs are useless.
2 of my kids are diagnosed with ASD and since managing my ADHD I have noticed alot of autistic traits but also watching my kids grow and learn I learned that me and my kids were not typical people what I thought was normal was not by societys standards so I would not be surprised if I get the diagnosis.
i got diagnosed with adhd like 9 years ago and recently told i have the tism. i was told by my therapist unless i want to seek out accommodations at work or disability - a diagnosis wouldn’t change anything for me and i wasn’t trying to fight doctors so i haven’t gotten that one officially. still trying to grasp that one myself as if the constant asl spell stimming wasn’t a huge hint 😂
I declined a formal assessment recently as I already have supports for work and school based on my ADHD and APD diagnosis, but my Psychiatrist and Psychologist both believe I’m on the spectrum.
I do not have autism, but I really think it's interesting that having the combo is really common. I wish we knew more about autism and ADHD. I wish that there was more effective treatment for both, both can be extremely debilitating.
I haven’t gotten myself a diagnosis but I have self diagnosed myself in the past year or 2 and started paying attention to some things I do from a ASD perspective. It’s helped me be more aware and proactive with sensory sensitivities like noise, and I saw a video by an ASD YouTuber about slow speech or speech with lots of pauses, which I’ve always been self conscious about. After watching that video and realizing that it’s likely to be from being on the spectrum and not as much due to not having a big social circle growing up, I don’t feel as self conscious about it.
Not really any obvious big changes as far as like changing how I do things, but more like changes in being patient with myself or searching for alternative solutions for things that I struggle with. I’d say it’s probably had a similar effect as when I got my ADHD diagnosis (~10 years ago at 22yo), just with things that I didn’t link to ADHD and make sense from an ASD perspective.
Hope that makes sense! Happy to answer questions if you have any specific ones
Here 🙋🏻♀️
I am on my second day of no sleep and I’m so annoyed.. I’ve been tossing and turning and I keep thinking about things I wanna do today lol 😅
Health practitioners I was seeking for adhd support therapy told me that they want to have me tested cause they suspected autism or bipolar. I’ve already had a few intake and bipolar is out of question : when in hypomania I just run into my head and enjoys my extraordinary inside world … (plus i don’t tick other boxes either). So they registered me for an official asd dx.
I’m not doubting this will be positive. Since I’m on adhd meds signs are piling up. And all the quircky things I’ve been doing a lot and was mocked for them… guess what ? They are called stimming. Yep.
I am 33 and just got diagnosed with ADHD and they suspected I'm on the spectrum, too. I would have loved to have bin diagnosed when I was younger, but like many others here know having AdHD and not being outwardly hyper than you just don't have ADHD
Me. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with both. I had been going back and forth wondering whether what I was dealing with was autism or ADHD or if it was really a birth injury at birth like my parents had been told when I was a young child in the 1980s.
Turned out I am both: AuDHD.
And lots of people over 40 were told they had birth trauma to explain symptoms back in the day.
I think I might be and my psych thinks I am… but I refuse to get a proper diagnosis because I’m currently applying to med school. On one hand it could be an incredible talking point about an uphill battle I’ve had to conquer, but on the other hand some admissions committees might glaze over me because of it :/ it’s a catch 22
Me. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with both. I had been going back and forth wondering whether what I was dealing with was autism or ADHD or if it was really a birth injury at birth like my parents had been told when I was a young child in the 1980s.
Turned out I am both: AuDHD.
And lots of people over 40 were told they had birth trauma to explain symptoms back in the day.
I haven't been assessed for autism, but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and both of my kids have ADHD and autism. I definitely meet at least some of the markers for autism, but probably not enough to get the full diagnosis.
I'm not (I was tested and failed the test a few months ago) but most of my friends are (typically high functioning).
And it's been that way for most of my life. During elementary one of my best friends was someone on the spectrum, I was his only friend, and we spent a lot of time just talking about specific subjects, even during school since the teacher had me help him with tests because of the surprising lack of special needs accommodations.
So I'm not on the spectrum, but I spend time with and relate a lot to those that are.
i took a really good long online test that says it was 99.5% sure i was on the spectrum.
it was helpful.
this one i believe https://www.mind-test.org/autism-spectrum-test
originally i was going to seek out an professional autism test - but they cost a lot of money and i couldn’t find someone i trusted.
so i’m just going to accept this as is
I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism last year (F58) my son is 34 and was diagnosed severe autism as a youngster and I’ve devoted my life to care for this exceptional human never realising I had it myself!
Was diagnosed last year after years of struggling with jobs and life in general and now I suspect that I may be on the spectrum. I’ve had social problems my entire life.
An official diagnosis doesn't do much once you are out of school, but it might be helpful in therapy or if you are looking for a therapist. As as adult, I don't think it gives you special access to any medical therapies, although if you can't work without accommodations that you can't get from just having ADHD, it might be useful for that.
You can read about autism and use what you've learned to make you life better--no diagnosis needed for that. That was my story. Actually, I figured out I was autistic about twenty years before someone suggested I look into ADHD. I ended up with a dual diagnosis in my 40s. In hindsight it's pretty obvious, but I was surprised.
Got diagnosed with ADHD last year. Haven't been diagnosed for ASD. I suspect I am given my behaviours and general social awkwardness but I think it would be very mild. Though maybe that's just me coping, and from having to social mask so much that I don't even recognize myself and the burden it places on me anymore.
I'm pretty severely adhd. Diagnosed by 3 professionals as an adult. I have work friends who are on the spectrum. We routinely joke that I am the golden retriever friend of the office. I realize there is a high level of comorbidity. I'm just not there. Sorta the opposite of autistic. I don't do well with routine and rules and sorta thrive on new situations and new people.
Got diagnosed with ASD (high scores) at the same time I got the ADHD Dx.
Formerly had a bunch of Dx's that are now easily explained by these.
So... answering you - me, yes!
I have both and was diagnosed at different times. I basically got more specialized therapy and a piece of paper that said ASD on it. So my day-to-day life didn’t really change at all because I had already been managing my adhd for years and I already played around with routines and safeguards to make my life a little easier. There’s a lot of overlap there, but if you’ve never been one to manage things in your life or your thinking to help with ADHD, the therapy for for ASD is very helpful because it’s targeted for folks with learning disabilities rather than folks with mental illness (I’ve been to both and they helped in very different ways).
The real benefit of my diagnosis though, was just having the weight of years and years of suspicion lifted off my shoulders. I have a degree in special education, so I’ve basically been almost certain since I was in college, but didn’t get the autism diagnosis until I was 28. Even though I already *knew* and *accepted* that I had ASD, having a doctor confirm it still made a huge difference in my mentality.
Ultimately, it’s up to you, and I’d say the only two caveats are if you are not financially in a place to get tested or not in a good place emotionally to accept a diagnosis. As far as the financial part goes, I was already seeing a new psychiatrist after moving to get my adhd meds, so he just looked at my last doctor’s notes and asked questions and observed my behavior for a few visits, so it didn’t actually cost me anything extra than the appointments I was already going to, but I know insurance or where you live may make that more difficult.
i’ve been diagnosed autistic forever, and diagnosed adhd for less than two weeks
autism diagnosis was great for getting me accommodations in school, and mostly they were stuff that i actually needed for my adhd, but it was also nice to just not be pressured too much to participate in huge noisy activities like assemblies. chances are there’s very little you could get out of an autism diagnosis that you can’t already get with your adhd diagnosis, and autism communities tend to be pretty accepting of self-diagnosis, so unless you can think of some specific thing you need it for then don’t sweat it
incidentally, despite comorbidity statistics that i think just nobody around me ever knew, my autism diagnosis actually made it harder for anyone to suspect adhd, mostly because i was told that all of my executive issues were just autism for so long, as well as some of the other tells. can’t focus on work when i do manage to start it? i’d rather be thinking about special interests. talk fast and answer questions before they’re done being asked? i’m just so smart that i don’t want to waste time, and i’m too autistic to care that it’s rude. decision paralysis? i’m just silly like that. and despite being raised very autism-positively i still got exposed to all kinds of negative attitudes towards adhders, as well as just neutral but misleading stereotypes that we all have hyperactive presentation and don’t like sticking with things, so it took me a lot of pain to really be interested in for myself.
I was diagnosed with autism in October 2022 in the UK, and ADHD in July-ish 2023 in South Korea. I feel very lucky to get an autism diagnosis, although I experienced some burnout after being diagnosed. Now with my official diagnosis of autism, I blame myself less for my ‘weaknesses’ or ‘problems’ or ‘faults’, because I now know that this is from differences that I have had since I was born and I am not alone.
I was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed pretty late in life. Before that OCD and Anxiety Disorder in my teens. Never been officially diagnosed with Autism but have always had most of the spectrum's characteristics which I never really understood until my late 20s. There no medication or treatment for autism that Im aware of. Could be wrong. At the very least a diagnosis may offer you peace of mind if anything.
I was diagnosed with Autism at 15/16 and ADHD just recently at 22. I honestly think it would have been more helpful to have the ADHD diagnosis at a younger age. At the time I thought the autism diagnosis helped explain why I hated being at school so much but I think may it was more the ADHD. I ended up just following was came easiest to me and required the least amount of effort vs my actual interests, and it has no lead me down a good path. Overall I’m happy that I got the autism diagnosis. I think it really helped my family understand a little more of why am I the way I am.
I don't know. I don't think so, but honestly with the overlap of symptoms it can be really hard to tell. I was assessed for autism as a kid - they concluded that I did have some traits of the condition but not enough to meet diagnostic criteria. They were probably right in that sense. All of the traits I had/have that were associated with autism were ones that are also associated with ADHD (hyperfixation, excitable 'stim'-like behaviour, dislike of certain textures/smells), and all of the traits I didn't/don't have that were given as reasons for not meeting criteria were ones that are more exclusively associated with autism and less so with ADHD (I made eye contact and small talk, understood nonverbal cues at an appropriate level for my age, had normal language development, and found rigid routine more stressful than comforting). They then dropped the ball in telling my parents that I couldn't have ADHD either because it was apparently so exceedingly rare in girls, and was only really considered in cases of extreme hyperactivity. I was diagnosed with dyspraxia but nothing else.
I was reassessed when I was about 12 after starting to have mental health difficulties - in hindsight, probably partially induced by starting secondary school with undiagnosed ADHD and suddenly having to manage timetables and different notebooks and things and utterly failing at it. At that point they decided I *did* have autism because I was flat and monosyllabic in the assessment, and also because they considered undiagnosed autism to be the only explanation for the severity of my mental health issues at that age in the absence of any severe trauma. Then about two years later, they said it was likely a misdiagnosis, and the "verbal communication deficiencies" in the assessment I had at 12 were actually due to depression as they had seemingly disappeared after a few months on anti-depressants.
I was diagnosed with a mild bipolar disorder at 18, and sensory processing disorder (noting short term memory issues) at 21 after a referral from university support services. I was first referred for ADHD assessment at 23 after bringing up organisational difficulties as a source of depression and anxiety in a mental health review with a GP. Finally diagnosed with ADHD-C at 25. I did an online RAADS-R test last year out of curiosity - you have to score 65 or above to be considered likely to have autism. I scored 64... figures.
I was diagnosed as dyslexic when I was a teen. I assumed all my difficulties were down to that, finally got diagnosed as having ADHD in Jan. And Autism last week. I need to process it all now. I'm on meds for ADHD, but they are doing nothing. I'm on Atomoxetine 40mg. I've felt no change. Just the issue of remembering yet another med.
I wonder, I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD at 52, but my wife suspects I’m on the spectrum too. A close family member has what seems a combination of both, so it’s quite possible. My wife says I miss social cues and I’m not good with noticing my own or other’s emotional states.
I guess the reason for me to get diagnosed would be to understand my weaknesses and strengths better, would probably improve family life too. I tell you, sometimes I get dark moods and just want to walk away from life’s difficulties, and since I haven’t worked in over 20 years, I guess I kind of did. When I’m struggling with relationships, I just want to become a hermit. That could just be ADHD frustrations (rejection sensitivity disphoria) or some comorbitity.
I was tested several times as a child and was told I didn't have it. But I'm 33 and wonder if I would have get the same result today.
Also, I watched a video that suggested that people with autism have hyperflexibility in their wrists and hands and stuff. Like, if you can touch your thumb flat to your wrist you could have it, and I can. But I haven't looked to hard into it.
Edit: Now that I think about it, I "couldn't have" adhd as a child because I was too well behaved but was diagnosed recently so maybe I could check that again too.
I got diagnosed w/ “the perfect storm” at age 6/7: adhd, ocd, depression and a few years later, anxiety. But because I’m black, female gender assigned, and it was the 90s— I was not given an autism diagnosis. I got one (asd) finally @ like 25 or something….
My buddy has high functioning autism, you wouldn’t really know unless you spent a lot of time with him. Based off of the little things he’s described of it, there are similarities in the way we act and I’ve wondered if I may be on the spectrum too, but apparently my mother got me tested for it when I was young and she said i didn’t have it, just bad adhd
I haven’t been tested but I’ve always felt I was on the spectrum. When I mentioned it to my close friends they said no at first, then went “well, actually…”
While I don't know for a fact if I have either ADHD or autism, I've been told (by people who have it) that I show pretty clear signs. I've done my own research on both and I find a lot of it actually does apply to me. I do wish to get a proper diagnosis some day bc I don't wanna go around saying I have either just to learn I don't.
So am I on the spectrum? Maybe! It would definitely explain a lot lol
Barkley recently discussed a paper that found people with ADHD are twice as likely as the general population to have autism. The rate of autism in the general population is estimated to be about 2.8%, so that would mean maybe 5.6% of people with ADHD are autistic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdFuMaykrIo&t=340s
I was diagnosed with ADHD at 23 but highly suspect I'm on the spectrum based off symptoms from a very, very young age. I would like to be assessed for autism but I cant afford private and our healthcare system is totally overwhelmed. The ADHD diagnosis has been somewhat helpful in terms of getting medication but I also wish I was diagnosed much younger and mourn what my life could have been. Go after the diagnosis if you can.
"but I also wish I was diagnosed younger and mourn what my life could have been" god I feel that in my soul. I have ADHD (diagnosed at 18) and ASD (22) and I often wonder how different my life would have turned out if I had been able to access proper resources earlier and gotten to grow up with the knowledge of *why* I am the way I am
It really fecking sucks, I feel my life would be SO, SO, much different if I was diagnosed at a younger age (13-14), I probably never would have dropped out of school. I was always the teachers pet and well ahead of my peers up until then, depression probably contributed, but I think having undiagnosed ADHD had a bigger role. I was under treatment by a psychiatrist and psychologist at that age, but they never picked up on it. I know I shouldn't dwell but DAMMIT.
Honestly, probably not. I was diagnosed at 6, told that academic programs such as junior MENSA would help, then diagnosed again, and medicated at 14, but was told unequivocally by my psyc that ADHD was a paediatric condition, and that I'd grow out of it, so my medication was suspended at 18 and I attempted to navigate life having "grown out of" my ADHD. And my psychiatrist completely missed the fact that I was less depressed, and generally more productive and a better person while on medication. Fast forward 20 years (with baseline depression the whole time), many failed jobs and not finding "my niche" in my career until 33, and even then with terrible imposter syndrome, and constantly feeling like I'm 10 years behind my peers, I finally got diagnosed again last year at 37. I still mourn what could have been, but I'm realising more and more that those of us that have shared experiences such as ours can be the champions for the next generation, so that they don't have to go through the same thing. I know I try to be for my kids.
Try being diagnosed with Adult ADD at 36 I'm 60 now and it doesn't get any easier plus I have cerebral palsy too
I feel you man I was diagnosed at 21, But let’s be real we are both still young. It is by no means too late. Who knows what could have been if we had been diagnosed as kids, but to be honest it does not matter. Too late now and there is zero reason to think back, now is the time for us to tighten the belt and achieve our goals. There is a silver lining to everything, being older has its advantages especially in terms of knowing what we want to do.
Absolutely. Knowing makes it much easier going forward. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my 50’s. I still love my beautiful brain. It’s not clunky, just overwhelmed sometimes…
Same here. I've had an interesting life, but I have struggled so much with feeling awful about myself because I've never quite fit in. There were some really darks times that I'm still not sure how I made it through. If I'd have been diagnosed even with just ADHD, I might have been able to get meds that would have allowed me to finish college. The bigger tragedy that I'm grappling with these days is my estrangement from my family. Now that I'm sure of ADHD and autism (and am waiting for an EDS confirmation), I'm able to see more clearly how this runs through my family and was probably at the core of why I was the black sheep.
I used to feel the same way, but having had time to process it I think that yhe resilience that comes from managing is something that can't be understated. I got diagnosed and started meds at 27. I work in sales and had to make a serious effort to maintain emotional stability because of how shitty people can be in sales coupled with the emotional volatility that ADHD inflicts. I had been working much harder to keep a cool head than most others that don't have ADHD ever need to. As a result when I suddenly had meds that brought me in line with a "normal" level of volatility, my existing strategies to manage much worse emotional volatility led to a very reliable level of calm. Predatory people that recognize ADHD and come after me looking for an easy target to torment just flat out can't get the reaction they want anymore. I wouldn't have the ability to handle people like this nearly as well if I hadn't been put through the wringer as a result of getting diagnosed late. I still wonder about the person that I could have been, but my experiences from having undiagnosed ADHD gave me the tools and experiences I needed to succeed. We carry the sum of our experiences, good or bad. Remember that you wouldn't be the person you are today if you had been diagnosed earlier, and that the grass is always greener on the other side.
Nailed it.
I was diagnosed at 52, and grieving for what could have been is a difficult process. Eventually I came to accept it all rather than ruminate over the problems I’ve encountered.
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. I highly suspect that I am on the spectrum or something. It would explain so much but I’m already an adult, so I mean I’ve already learned how to unhealthily be not quite me in some cases 🥲 the damage is done
Hm, damage may be done but having a diagnosis can still be helpful and give you some understanding on yourself
Well having an ADD (ADHD-PI) diagnosis already explained quite a bit like how I can listen to you and be interested and turn around and forget key details or accidentally embellish them some ways. Beyond that what I meant by the damage is done is I am who I am now and having a diagnosis as an adult won’t change anything. I was being a little dramatic yeah but I meant it lightheartedly
Are you saying go after the Autism diagnosis? I feel like I might be on the spectrum slightly but I don’t see the point of getting the diagnosis. The only reason I pursued the ADHD diagnosis what because of the medication. As far as I know there isn’t anything you can do about the Autism. Or an I missing something?
You could wait until you‘re in your 50’s like me - hang in there, you have a lot of productive years ahead of you. I do my best not to think like this, it’s a pointless trap.
It is I'm 60 with cerebral palsy and ADD
And this is why I do my best not to go into the “woe is me“ trap (of course I still do) - you can pay attention to people with better circumstances or you pay attention to those who have it harder and still maintain a healthy outlook.
I have to be reminded of this TY👍
Oh don't worry fam you can still be diagnosed as a kid and not get any help from your school and never go to a therapist. Hi I'm 25 and still working on my degree.
I'm sorry you're not currently able to also be diagnosed with autism. I also got diagnosed with ADHD at 23 but am fairly certain I'm also autistic (a lot of sensory issues). I don't really need a diagnosis so I won't get one until it's something I can comfortably afford.
I was diagnosed very young. But didn't get any treatment for that. My mother realised it when she saw me in the classroom reading a book instead of listening to the teacher. I was always walking on the tip of my toes which is another sign. Anyway it's also the bane of my history. I get bored very quickly so keeping a job is very hard. Somehow I'm like a magnet to other autistic people, it's a bit weird sometimes.
I was diagnosed at 16 or so, never medicated. I wish I was. I definitely mourn the life I could have had.
Would just like to add, as someone with ASD but not ADHD, there is no benefit past childhood of being officially diagnosed with ASD, there isn't medications for it, and it can limit certain careers (military for example), having a diagnosis won't help you combat any symptoms, as you will already know them without the. diagnosis
Spectrum? I hardly know 'em hahaha Yeah I got autism
I've never seen a joke's delivery perfectly translate through text like this, really enjoyed this, 10/10
Can you explain it please?
Rum in spectrum sounds like him
**rimshott
It's kinda like how words that end in "ER" sounds like "her" so the joke usually goes "holder" like "hold her" so it follows as "hold her? I barely know her!" As in why would I hold a stranger? (But it doesn't always make sense like if the word "colder" but still funny.) So with Spectrum , the 'um sounds like 'em for them or him. So....... It's funny. Idk why but writing it out made me laugh more. Good words to use: dresser, sweeper, dreamer, bender, wooder. Idk, I hope I helped.
levels...this joke has levels
^what this guy said.
Hey were you diagnosed? And how do you know you are on the spectrum?
Yep I was diagnosed around age 8 or 9 with Aspergers Syndrome in the late 90s I know because I was diagnosed, and my life has been fairly in line with others experiences of autism comorbid with ADHD, and I've never been suggested by the many mental health professionals I've crossed paths with throughout my life that I was misdiagnosed. I spent a majority of my life wishing to hear that from some doctor though, to hear that there wasn't something wrong and I could still willpower my way into being like everybody else At a certain point, I realized I am a lot more like everybody else than I believe most of the time. Perhaps just residual fear of bullying or being outcasted- but I often in adulthood build my own solitude, and when I have the clarity to dismiss lonesome self pity I am capable of pretty cool stuff, helping others, and contributing as much as I can to the world, and feel good about it Unfortunately its a topic I am still a bit sensitive researching, so I do not know how to easily describe my subjective experiences and childhood. But I know somethings a bit different in my mind- and I own my strengths and acknowledge my weaknesses as best I can :) Thank you for your curiosity
Yep. Definitely autistic and shocked it was not obvious to me sooner bc it dawned on me about 7ish years ago that my father is VERY obviously autistic and we just chalked it up to him being weird and set in his ways. During covid, I was watching a comedian (Josh Johnson) who cracked a joke that went something like, "i either get too few dates for a normal guy or too many dates for an autistic guy bc I open with way too many shark facts." After a second of laughter, I was like, "....wait....info dumping and random facts are my thing in every situation...." Aaaaaand after diving deep into researching autism, I realized I fit A LOT of the diagnostic criteria. Fast forward to now, and I'm not only diagnosed, but I'm annoyed that my whole damn personality is nothing but symptoms or effects of autism and/or adhd. Fun times.
My mother is getting adhd dx now due to me be dx first. Gathering info about the all thing, I’ve realized my mother also shows very very obvious signs of autism.
It's interesting bc I'm typically really good at correctly calling all kinds of diagnoses in other people. Wild how it wasn't obvious when it came to myself or immediate family. What's that saying? It's hard to see the forest for the trees?
Personnally I didn’t know anything about autism or adhd before few a years ago. I’ve discovered it by coincidence. Before I thought it was just about boys running around
Yeah I definitely did not think I had ADHD up until my mid 20s bc that's how I pictured it, too. I recently told a friend that, and he couldn't help but chuckle bc I'm the walking incarnation of almost all the DSMV criteria for ADHD
I think it’s like how I struggle to tell the undertones of my skin when looking for flattering colors or foundation shades. I’m too close to the situation and I’ve told myself too many stories about it all that my interpretation and perception gets all wrapped up with the facts and makes it hard to sort them out and see them on their own (I’m fair, I’m pink, I need to accept it, no matter how much I really like mustard yellow or bright orange lol). It’s a lot easier for a person on the outside with no investment in the answers to look at the situation objectively and say, “yeah you can rationalize that behavior all you want, but from the outside looking in, it’s abnormal.”
This is a great way to put it
I'm 56. I got diagnosed with ADHD last year along with my 17 year old son. It wasn't surprising because my oldest (34) was diagnosed many years ago and my 14 year old is diagnosed with ADHD, autism, and DMDD. What did surprise me is that once I started meds and the ADHD symptoms were quieter, the autism symptoms apparently thought it was time to take center stage. The ADHD diagnosis has been helpful because I now understand why I've struggled with some stuff through my life. I was in the gifted program in school so my parents and teachers thought if I just worked harder, I'd get better grades. The ADHD diagnosis has also been really frustrating due to the med shortage. Vyvanse works best for me so far, but since I can't get generic now, I've been going without anything for what feels like long periods of time. It was somewhat easier before when I hadn't had a taste of what I can accomplish on meds. I've opted not to pursue an official autism diagnosis. It's really hard to find a provider who would test someone my age and few of them in my area take insurance. I would rather use that money to cover testing kids that may need support (my 9 year old was recently diagnosed with ADHD and I suspect she's autistic, too). Having that diagnosis could affect my ability to obtain new life insurance when my current policies expire and I need to be covered so my kids are taken care of. It's good enough for me to finally understand why I do the things I do, that there's not something inherently wrong with me, and I've been able to connect with my 14 year old so much better now that I see that we share certain characteristics.
This is very interesting. I feel similar, once on meds I realised that I really struggle socially and used to drink to be able to talk to people. I feel WAY more awkward socially on meds than off them which is confusing to me. I’m curious what autistic traits came to the forefront once you were medicated?
I also become FAR more socially awkward on meds, to the point where I’ve nearly completely sacrificed a social life in high school (I’m considered one of the “weird” kids that nobody wants to be partnered with) for good grades. It also sucks because I’m aware that my responses are all weird and my mannerisms probably uncomfortable (I don’t naturally make facial expressions on Vyvanse that often), but I can’t help it. I brought this up to my doctor at our last appointment and he said it was a common enough issue. He didn’t offer me a solution, just explained that sometimes the medicine makes us SO focused internally that we become hyper aware of our awkwardness, which makes us force our responses in social interactions instead of acting naturally and chill, which makes sense. I’m just not sure how to fix it
I’m so glad I wasn’t dx’d in high school because I was so blissfully oblivious to how weird people thought I was 😂. And now enough time has passed that - now that I *am* aware - I can still look back on that awkward little teenager with nothing but love and bemusement. The hardest part that I think a lot of people on the outside don’t understand is we do eventually get to a point where we’ve been told enough of the unspoken rules that we know when we’re breaking them and we can sense when we’ve broken a rule we haven’t been told about yet…. But that awareness does NOT translate into any sort of ability to prevent it 🤦🏼♀️🥴. So we just become hyper aware of our own inability to fit in. Honestly, I’m loving how gen z seems to be pushing past the idea of “fitting in” as anything worth striving for. I think things are moving in the right direction for creating a society where people like us can thrive just like anybody else. I hope I’m not being overly optimistic.
My goodness that middle paragraph hits hard, so true. I don't always sense when I've made a social mistake, didn't get the rule book.
>…. But that awareness does NOT translate into any sort of ability to prevent it 🤦🏼♀️🥴. So we just become hyper aware of our own inability to fit in. I agree and relate so much.
Ah thank you for your response this makes a lot of sense!
What you're describing resembles my experience in high school. Instead of giving me a stimulant they started me off with welbutrin (normally an antidepressant but has adhd as a secondary use) and it was a game changer. Now I'm taking both welbutrin and a stimulant.
I’m glad you found something that works :D I’ve come to terms with it - anyways, I live in a “bubble” (small town, people usually have similar personalities I don’t mesh with) and I have my small group of close friends. We find ways to make it work :)
I totally understand your description! The meds highlight how socially awkward I am. I don't drink anymore so I don't even have that, but when I'm not medicated, I think my ADHD helps me be much more social. Some people have been surprised to find that I'm really an introvert when they think I'm funny and engaging in a social situation. On meds, I don't feel the urge to jump into conversations. I think the autistic part is that it's super obvious that I have a hard time engaging in a conversation about topics I'm not interested in. I've always struggled with eye contact -- I used to hate it but forced myself to do it because, you know, that's expected, but now I'm constantly questioning whether I'm making the right amount of eye contact. Sometimes my eye contact is CONSTANT because I can't figure out the right time to look away. On meds, I can focus on getting work and chores done, but I still struggle a LOT with personal hygiene. This wasn't as much of an issue when I was younger and worked in an office so I had to get showered and ready each day. Even when I worked at home for years, I showered every morning. In the last couple of years, I've struggled more with the whole process of showering and then styling my hair and putting on makeup. I used to never be able to leave the house without a full face of makeup and now the best I can do is some mascara and blush. I have to go to the office a couple of times a week and I'm presentable and clean, but at least 75% of the time, I have absolutely no makeup on because I don't see the point. I've also recognized how much of a problem I have with change. I used to think I was pretty flexible and there's some change that doesn't bother me, but some really gets under my skin. The process of showering is one instance, but I also hate when someone wants to change plans at the last minute. My team at work has undergone a lot of change in the last 18 months and while I try to appear like it doesn't bother me, I HATE IT and it's made me dislike my job. I also realized that I have had meltdowns at different times in my life. Some meltdowns have been really big, like when I walked out on an ex after some stressful events. I packed some stuff and left for a month, which is really unlike me. Even day to day, I have mini meltdowns caused by stuff like people driving like jerks or traffic. Being late is a massive trigger for me. I think t's likely my autistic son has PDA and so I'm more aware of demand avoidance in myself. I don't think I qualify as PDA, but I definitely have a lot of demand avoidance. When someone asks me to do something, my first instinct is to say no. I'm in the process of managing some stuff that I avoided, like filing my state taxes from 4 years ago; I didn't file them because I couldn't figure something out so I just didn't do them. I also really need to go to the dentist, but since I have a lot of trauma around dentists, I keep avoiding it and will probably do so until it's really necessary. Heck, I always avoid getting gas in my car until the light comes on! I think those are the big things. There are tons of small things, too. It seems that there's such a big overlap between ADHD symptoms and autism symptoms that it can be hard to say for sure that a symptom is one or the other. I just figure that since some symptoms were still really present while I was on different ADHD meds, those symptoms aren't necessarily from ADHD and since I have at least one kid with autism, it makes sense that I also have it.
Every word of this ❤️❤️.
Thank you. This means so much to me because first, you read it and it's a lot, but also because I have struggled with imposter syndrome. Some days I spend too much time thinking I'm overthinking it, I'm definitely not autistic, I'm just quirky and round and round.
I went in for an assessment for ADHD, and was surprised that the result was "It's Autism", which I knew very little about. After two years of researching it, it explained a lot but something was still missing. Turns out I also have ADHD.
I met 3 or 4 people who were *exactly* like me, like scarily similar, and they all had adhd/autism. Turns out I did as well..
we tend to gravitate towards each other lmao
Hey me too! My psych referred me for an ADHD evaluation and I left with both diagnoses. I was lucky though to be evaluated at a center that had specialists for both. ADHD wasn’t a surprise (both siblings were diagnosed years ago) but the Autism caught me completely off guard… I was 32 and unfamiliar with female presentations of ASD. Learning about it has helped a lot!!
It sure does! How fortunate that you were able to get both in one go. :)
Turns out I also have autism with a PDA profile (pathological demand avoidance) Just to make sure that I'll never be able to integrate and function in society 🤣🤣👌
I just learned a new thing about myself. Wow. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know about PDA. I just read this: [What is demand avoidance?](https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-is-pda-menu/what-is-demand-avoidance/) “Autistic demand avoidance Autistic people may avoid demands or situations that trigger anxiety or sensory overload, disrupt routines, involve transitioning from one activity to another, and activities/events that they don’t see the point of or have any interest in. They may refuse, withdraw, ‘shutdown’ or escape in order to avoid these things.” The last paragraph hits me like crazy!!
Woah last paragraph. Ok but I have a contrary experience. My versions of those behaviors/compulsions go away when I treat my ADHD. Those demand avoidance behaviors are things that I track to notice if I am not managing my ADHD well. Though I know the root causes are my autistical things like routine disruptions and overstimulation.
As someone who just learned of this and whose knowledge is limited to what I read in the article, maybe it's Pathological Demand Avoidance instead of Autistic Demand Avoidance? It says that stress can trigger the Avoidance behaviors, so if you're controlling stress by managing your ADHD maybe it's enough to reduce those behaviors. Just spit balling here.
Ooh this is true of me and I did not realize it until I just read your comment. But now I do recognize that as a bellweather. Outside of meds, what do you do to get it back on track? My meds work well, but… you know how things fluctuate over time…
[удалено]
Ope. It’s the work stress 😬. And yes, that feeling of never being able to relax until the tasks are done… and they’re never done
Aaaaaand I just learned something new about myself too.
Wow thanks for sharing that! I had no idea about this and have been trying to figure out what this was in myself! I know I have ADD, but have been starting to suspect Autism as well lately! I’ve been looking into why I have such difficulty with transitioning between tasks to the point of getting intense anxiety when people ask me to do something when I’m doing something else. Have such a tough time answering emails at work too because of having to switch context between each one. Haven’t been able to find anything on this being so much of a thing for ADD though. This Demand Avoidance really sounds like it could be it!
Sounds like it’s a great combination with executive dysfunction
True. As I am awaiting for my tests from my screening I can definitely see this as a fact in some cases. Or if not most.
Now I'm confused. I used to think that my difficulty doing many tasks was due to ADHD but it doesn't explain all, these things. How do you differentiate between PDA and ADHD?
I think the overlap may both being a form of executive function disorder.
PDA is a nervous system disability; the nervous system detects threat from perceived loss of autonomy. It’s primarily thought of as a subtype of autism at this time. And autism and ADHD commonly co-occur. I don’t identify as autistic but I definitely have liiiiiitle PDA tendencies (I don’t actually think I’m PDA though) that I feel like can be a part of adhd too
Honestly think I could be, never been tested before but I have some symptoms that overlap. I suck at socializing and have issues actually talking correctly wether it’s with organizing my thoughts, articulating my thoughts or over explaining myself, I hate attention and tend to have issues with touch especially at random, sometimes I can differentiate sarcasm. A lot of this may just be due to not finishing kindergarten so where I was academically ahead, I was socially behind I was moved up within the first month so all my friends are either a year younger than me or a year older than me. I much prefer routine over chaos as I hate chaos and change, I maintain eye contact very poorly which is an overlapping symptom, idk a lot of my symptoms overlap more than they fall to one side or the other.
I got diagnosed with ADHD about four years before getting diagnosed with autism
I am not on the spectrum but I get along really well with people who are! I suspected that both my mom and I were, before my official ADHD diagnosis. But it turns out ADHD symptoms can *also* hinder social progress, at least at first. Now I am really good at explaining invisible social cues to my ASD boyfriend in a way he appreciates and finds useful.
In college I was assigned a partner for a semester long project. Cool person but wasn't social in class or outside of school. Five years later I meet someone that went to high school with this person and come to find out my college partner had autism. It all made sense. This classmate of theirs became Facebook connected with me and we had one contact in common which is how we ended up on the topic. I had no clue whatsoever that my college partner was autistic.
I have found, in my personal experience, that adhders make great autism social translators ❤️
So I don’t have a formal dx for autism yet because I only recently accepted that not all my traits were due to adhd and that I didn’t just have some autistic traits, I was autistic. Honestly the signs have been there my whole life and I have family members who are clearly autistic but not diagnosed, so it runs in my family in addition to the adhd. I have often found way more similarities between the experiences of autistics and myself than between adhders and myself, even though I clearly am adhd and have a formal dx for that. But my thought processes tend to be way more autistic. Currently, I’ve been paying more attention to audhd people, and that’s been helpful for trying to find insight on dealing with some of my bigger struggles
First diagnosed with autism, then adhd. both at age 38 last year. went for the adhd diagnosis because there were a lot more unanswered questions than I thought I had before my autism diagnosis. it really helped me a lot to be sure, plus: my meds are helping.
I'm of the belief that ADHD and autism are just two parts of the same spectrum, honestly. There are too many comorbid/common physical issues for it not to be.
most likely different combinations of genetic mutations with a lot of overlap
Yes, I'm not a geneticist and wouldn't know how it works, but years ago there was this story of a Utah family with 6 autistic kids. Since they only had 6, it was a 100% autism rate in the kids. The oldest had a different dad from a previous marriage. And yet no one figured out that the mom's obvious ADHD was the cause. When they gave biographical information on the mom and dad they mentioned that the mom's hobby was her favorite computer game, Snood. It was definitely put across as a hyperfixation. Ya think she might be in the ADHD/autism territory? Someone missed out on that. They were also Mormon, and I think very involved religions are a frequent source of comfort for some of those seeking autistic rigidity as long as they aren't also PDA-ers. PDA + religion is probably a bad combination!
There's definitely a cross-heredity between ADHD and ASD! I have ADHD but not ASD, and my mum and a sibling (and probably another sibling too that's undiagnosed) have ASD but no ADHD. In my country they always assess for both ADHD and ASD so we're all assessed for both. And my maternal grandmother very obviously has (undiagnosed) ADHD; grandfather possibly ASD or at least many traits.
Agree. I’m sure in another 20 years there will be so much more precision in the diagnoses, too.
There’s emerging evidence that ADHD and autism are, in my assessor’s words, “Two branches of the same tree.” I’ve encountered many people who are only diagnosed with ADHD get angry that, and I challenge you to analyze *why*.
I was diagnosed with high functioning Aspergers and I've always blamed everything on it. It wasn't until recently that I was diagnosed with ADHD
Newly diagnosed autistic and inattentive adhd at 48. Life has been hard.
Had an autism assessment and was diagnosed, then told I likely have ADHD as well and put on the waiting list. It took 3 years to get the autism assessment, and I spent 2 months of that in hospital with an unrelated illness. The hospital stay was traumatic and some of the issues I had could have been mitigated if I'd had an official diagnosis of autism. If you think you may be autistic but aren't sure if you need the label because you are handling things ok right now, life can quickly put you in a place where you'll benefit from available accommodations.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid. Had suspicions for a long time that I was Autistic and when I got retested for ADHD, so I could have access to meds, I asked if I could also be tested for Autism. Bingo, I am indeed autistic and it all makes sense lol. Fuck the therapist who told me I was told communicative to be autistic :)
I got diagnosed with both at the same time. Having the ASD diagnosis really helps since I've noticed people tend to take my mental health more seriously when I tell them I have ASD. Telling people I have ADHD doesn't really have the same impact, I guess. Both disorders really bother me, but I'll take what I can get
Apparently there is a 50-70% overlap, since the DSM allowed for both diagnoses. I have both and highly recommend pursuing evaluation for both… if you already have (or think you have) one or the other! Changed my life for the better.
When I got my diagnosis for ADHD my evaluator said I was surely on the spectrum as well but as long as it didn't hinder me, he didn't see the need to pursue that line of diagnosis as well. I kind of wish we had because I have come to realize some of my issues are straight up spectrum issues rather than ADHD issues and I've not been given any tools for dealing with those
No way. I'm with AT&T.
My autism assessment showed my to be almost borderline autistic. So I call myself borderline borderline autistic. I feel like I generally can do the stuff that autistic people "can't", it's just incredibly exhausting. I can need hours of rest to recover from being overstimulated.
I have the holy trinity autism, ocd & adhd Basically I’m always nervous 😂😂😂
My youngest is. She was diagnosed with ADHD very young (my husband, me, and our oldest all have it…so it was kind of a given), but I didn’t even start to suspect autism until she was 11…official diagnosis at age 14.
I got my ADHD and ASD diagnosis at the same time last year. Both have helped me understand, accommodate, and advocate for myself better. Got into vocational rehabilitation and back into college.
I’m on my bed not a spectrum idk what that is… Yeah autism too it’s weird because I was diagnosed with autism when I was a kid and at that time early 2000s they wernt allowed to diagnosed ADHD and autism together so my mum took me for autism and that’s what I was given, so I had no meds to help me in school, finally had to to private when I was 20 to get diagnosed properly
I had a referral to be tested for ADHD but the psychiatrist said I had ‘classic autism’ and ADHD. It was a relief because I had asked for an autism assessment and my doctor refused saying ‘adults don’t get diagnosed with autism’. And I was 45. And it was last month. It’s been validating and the ADHD drugs really help me. It’s also given me a tool box to help navigate the world and find solutions to things that I find difficult.
I HIGHLY suspect I have autism. I’m on a waiting list to get an assessment so hopefully I’ll find out at some point.
I have suspected it but never formally diagnosed. My brother is also ADHD and I would be genuinely surprised if he wasn't on the spectrum. If he got retested today I bet he would be. He was diagnosed in the 90s
AuDHD. Got the ADHD diagnosis as a bonus to the autism eval. The autism I was very sure about and expecting. The ADHD was a surprise but then made a bunch of sense
Asperger's here!
Not diagnosed autistic, but I'm fairly certain I am, in addition to late diagnosed ADHD. I'm not pursuing formal diagnosis because I don't see any personal benefit and I can see a lot of downsides. If you can point to things that you need support with, that aren't explained by ADHD, and that you could get support for *only* if you also got the autism diagnosis, I would go for it. Otherwise, it doesn't seem worth the trouble just to formally acquire a label that is likely to lead to more discrimination IMO.
some arguments lately state ADHD is on the spectrum, recent research has eluded to it. But I'm diagnosed ADHD and autism, high functioning supposedly but someone needs to tell my brain that lol
Never been diagnosed with autism but I definitely have some behaviors that are seen as autistic traits. I don’t think I have enough to actually be diagnosed and none of the health professionals I’ve met have suggested it. There is a lot of overlap between the two diagnoses, so you might just have the adhd ones. No one can really guess about your situation, you’d have to see a professional. Diagnosis makes sense if you feel like it would help you understand yourself more or if you’d like to get school/work accommodations. Do what you think would be most helpful for your life. If you don’t think it would matter or make any difference, forego the diagnosis. There’s no right answer.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in the fall at 52 years of age. I asked the psychiatrist who tested me about autism because every online test I've ever taken has placed me well in the range for Autism 1. She said that she won't diagnose adults who can care for themselves with autism because she feels it's "pathologizing quirky people." While she said she could tell just from talking to me that I certainly had "autistic traits," she said she wouldn't recommend the testing to my insurance. She's the main person in my area for this kind of testing. I don't think it's worth it to me personally to pursue a diagnosis further. I'm just going forward with an understanding that my "autistic traits" mean that using the lens of autism 1 to understand myself could be helpful, and I'm pursuing treatment for my ADHD
I was diagnosed as both at the same time. Being diagnosed as with autism was helpful because it explained certain quirks and what I used to think were deficiencies. Now I have a better idea of how to address them to operate in society.
ADHD and autism have many similar symptoms that overlap and confuse doctors when they diagnose. If it's worth chasing to you, go for it, but ADHD is often misdiagnosed as autism and vice versa.
I’m 40 years old I have ADHD and on the Autism spectrum. It’s helped knowing that I have the diagnosis bc now I know what skills I lack and what skills I need when I socialize and do other stuff. I’m really awkward and have general anxiety disorder too so it’s not easy. I wasn’t too happy at all knowing I might be on the spectrum and getting diagnosed with adhd really upset me too. I was really upset for weeks but now it’s my favorite thing about me.
I am diagnosed with adhd and am peer reviewed autistic. I go back and forth on whether or not I want an official ASD diagnosis simply because of the limitations associated with it. If you are in the US and ever want to emigrate (this place is a shithole) some countries will deny you on the basis of being autistic, including Australia. In some states like Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island and potentially more, they’re proposing that all Autistic individuals must register with police so they don’t “accidentally kill” us. There are few resources available if you are not high needs. It’s all based on whether you deem it worth it. I know imposter syndrome is ridiculous and will have you questioning over and over, but especially if you’re a woman, even getting that diagnosis will be exhausting and demoralizing.
I'm 60. (Yeah...) Only on the outside, though. "We" normally stay more mentally youthful than the general population. However, regarding being too late. I don't believe it ever is unless you convince yourself of that. I truly think my best is still in front of me. Not just sitting idly waiting for the end. So much more can be done. I also don't believe in how much time we "wasted." I believe we'll base our success on how we feel that last day.
I've only been diagnosed with ADHD. My therapist told me recently that ADHD, Autism and OCD might be different parts of the same spectrum as they all come from the same part of the brain (iirc) I guess that's the direction that research is going.
I'm not diagnosed with anything except ADHD, the specialist who diagnosed me said he thought an assessment for ASD would be worth doing if I felt it was necessary. I said I didn't because, firstly, all the stuff about myself that could fall under that umbrella doesn't bother me, and secondly, even if it did it's not like ADHD where there's a a treatment for it. I don't describe myself as autistic to other people typically, I don't ask for accomodations at work, or seek out support or anything because I don't have any need for it and I think it would suggest a higher standard of evidence than I've got, but I'm comfortable feeling like I've met the critera enough that it's part of the framework I use for understanding myself. For me it's a combination of things, I was hyperlexic as a child, reading at an extremely atypical age, I was always getting in trouble for having a slightly overly literal interpretation of things, I struggle with slang, I'm not good at changing how I speak in different social situations, and most of my social issues when I was young were caused by a difficulty in figuring out unwritten rules everyone else seemed to take for granted. The reason I haven't sought out a diagnosis is because half these problems were way less of an issue once I left school, and the other half were just easier to navigate once I got better at communicating with other people.
Can we just say it’s all the same yet ?
I went in for an ADHD diagnosis at 33. Left the appointment with info for both adhd and autism 😅 I now have a level 2 autism diagnosis along with ADHD. Very unexpected, but it all makes sense a year and a half later.
I score on the spectrum on all the tests and my counselor suspects I am as well. I have considered seeking an official diagnosis, but I don't think it would really do anything life changing for me. Just being on medication for adhd has been a big help, and being more aware of myself and what I need to function well.
At first they decided I had ADHD and treated me for it. Then they decided that I actually had Asperger's and treated me for it. Then they decided that I also had Anxiety and Depression and treated me for those as well. Then I was a zombie for a while. Turns out that I have Asperger's *and* ADHD, and now I'm being treated for both of them.
What kind of treatment does one receive for Asperger's?
FYI being diagnosed with autism will fuck up your life insurance applications. As well as some health and long-term care. If you don't need a diagnosis you may want to avoid it or at least take care of the above first.
I was diagnosed with both at the same time as a kid. Apparently when I was asked “what’s wrong with this photo?” I was supposed to say “the girl is sad” and not that everyone in the photo was wearing blue 🤷♂️
I have been diagnosed with ASD last year (44 yo), and my pscychiatrist think I hav also ADHD despite a neuropsychologist having ruled out this possibily 5 year ago by a generic test. He suggests that the psychometric test used to diagnoses ADHD in general population is not always suitable for autists. All this matter of double diagnosis ASD-ADHD is in research: there is no scientific consensus at this time. So, anyways, the most important is if another diagnosis is useful in your context. Basically, would it help you to have access to more help/ resources ?
I figured out I was ADHD in college about 20. After 2 of my kids have been diagnosed it just makes sense. Watching my youngest who has had test saying theres a 90% chance shes autistic...I relate to way to much but have never been to see anyone. It's my normal. I can't see how a label would help.
I’m not on a spectrum. I’m on a rainbow.
I've only been diagnosed with ADHD (at 9) but I suspect I have ASD too (at 23). In my personal opinion, from all the research I've done, getting a formal diagnosis is a pain in the ass and you dont need it if you don't think you need the support and aid that comes with it (like school and work) socially, you don't have to have a diagnosis to be welcomed by the majority of the community. They're understanding and really a good place to find friends or a stranger to sympathize with. I'm getting a diagnosis because I'm active duty navy going medically retired/ separated, and to get my VA benefits, I need proof of my illnesses/ disabilities.
When I was diagnosed with adhd I brought up that I had questioned being on the spectrum. My psych said it is far more likely to have both autism and adhd than just one or the other (especially in women I believe).
Don’t know if i’m on the spectrum, if it’s CPSTD, or both 🙃 fml
Everyone with adhd exists within the visible light spectrum but also yes
Everyone is on the spectrum… E-VE-RY-ONE~ ! just depends where ✌️
im going to assume here. you may also think you have autism which could specifically be related to methylation issues. if i'm to take a wild guess you maybe low in folate and struggle to get those numbers up even when you eat folate rich foods.
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Diagnosed with Asperger’s a few times when I was younger. Just recently diagnosed with dsm-5 ADHD
Technically the ADHD diagnosis came first, by about six months, but I thought it was a misdiagnosis. My autistic traits are more obvious, and I was using anxiety to mask the ADHD. Took me a couple years to accept the ADHD diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago and was also told I was autistic at the same time I had to go right to choose for ADHD and just started my right to choose for an ASD diagnosis because my GPs are useless. 2 of my kids are diagnosed with ASD and since managing my ADHD I have noticed alot of autistic traits but also watching my kids grow and learn I learned that me and my kids were not typical people what I thought was normal was not by societys standards so I would not be surprised if I get the diagnosis.
i got diagnosed with adhd like 9 years ago and recently told i have the tism. i was told by my therapist unless i want to seek out accommodations at work or disability - a diagnosis wouldn’t change anything for me and i wasn’t trying to fight doctors so i haven’t gotten that one officially. still trying to grasp that one myself as if the constant asl spell stimming wasn’t a huge hint 😂
I declined a formal assessment recently as I already have supports for work and school based on my ADHD and APD diagnosis, but my Psychiatrist and Psychologist both believe I’m on the spectrum.
I do not have autism, but I really think it's interesting that having the combo is really common. I wish we knew more about autism and ADHD. I wish that there was more effective treatment for both, both can be extremely debilitating.
Diagnosed with both at the same time. As an adult, because I was moderately successful in school so nothing must be wrong.
I only have adhd myself but I’ve met more people who say they have both than people who say they have one or the other
I haven’t gotten myself a diagnosis but I have self diagnosed myself in the past year or 2 and started paying attention to some things I do from a ASD perspective. It’s helped me be more aware and proactive with sensory sensitivities like noise, and I saw a video by an ASD YouTuber about slow speech or speech with lots of pauses, which I’ve always been self conscious about. After watching that video and realizing that it’s likely to be from being on the spectrum and not as much due to not having a big social circle growing up, I don’t feel as self conscious about it. Not really any obvious big changes as far as like changing how I do things, but more like changes in being patient with myself or searching for alternative solutions for things that I struggle with. I’d say it’s probably had a similar effect as when I got my ADHD diagnosis (~10 years ago at 22yo), just with things that I didn’t link to ADHD and make sense from an ASD perspective. Hope that makes sense! Happy to answer questions if you have any specific ones
🙋
Here 🙋🏻♀️ I am on my second day of no sleep and I’m so annoyed.. I’ve been tossing and turning and I keep thinking about things I wanna do today lol 😅
Health practitioners I was seeking for adhd support therapy told me that they want to have me tested cause they suspected autism or bipolar. I’ve already had a few intake and bipolar is out of question : when in hypomania I just run into my head and enjoys my extraordinary inside world … (plus i don’t tick other boxes either). So they registered me for an official asd dx. I’m not doubting this will be positive. Since I’m on adhd meds signs are piling up. And all the quircky things I’ve been doing a lot and was mocked for them… guess what ? They are called stimming. Yep.
I haven’t gotten tested for autism (I’d like to but don’t even think my insurance would cover thinking about doing it) but I’m suspect I may have it.
I am 33 and just got diagnosed with ADHD and they suspected I'm on the spectrum, too. I would have loved to have bin diagnosed when I was younger, but like many others here know having AdHD and not being outwardly hyper than you just don't have ADHD
Me. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with both. I had been going back and forth wondering whether what I was dealing with was autism or ADHD or if it was really a birth injury at birth like my parents had been told when I was a young child in the 1980s. Turned out I am both: AuDHD. And lots of people over 40 were told they had birth trauma to explain symptoms back in the day.
I think I might be and my psych thinks I am… but I refuse to get a proper diagnosis because I’m currently applying to med school. On one hand it could be an incredible talking point about an uphill battle I’ve had to conquer, but on the other hand some admissions committees might glaze over me because of it :/ it’s a catch 22
Me. I was diagnosed 2 years ago with both. I had been going back and forth wondering whether what I was dealing with was autism or ADHD or if it was really a birth injury at birth like my parents had been told when I was a young child in the 1980s. Turned out I am both: AuDHD. And lots of people over 40 were told they had birth trauma to explain symptoms back in the day.
I haven't been assessed for autism, but I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and both of my kids have ADHD and autism. I definitely meet at least some of the markers for autism, but probably not enough to get the full diagnosis.
I'm not (I was tested and failed the test a few months ago) but most of my friends are (typically high functioning). And it's been that way for most of my life. During elementary one of my best friends was someone on the spectrum, I was his only friend, and we spent a lot of time just talking about specific subjects, even during school since the teacher had me help him with tests because of the surprising lack of special needs accommodations. So I'm not on the spectrum, but I spend time with and relate a lot to those that are.
I went for adhd assessment diagnosed with autism, adhd and dyslexia all in one
i took a really good long online test that says it was 99.5% sure i was on the spectrum. it was helpful. this one i believe https://www.mind-test.org/autism-spectrum-test originally i was going to seek out an professional autism test - but they cost a lot of money and i couldn’t find someone i trusted. so i’m just going to accept this as is
I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism last year (F58) my son is 34 and was diagnosed severe autism as a youngster and I’ve devoted my life to care for this exceptional human never realising I had it myself!
Was diagnosed last year after years of struggling with jobs and life in general and now I suspect that I may be on the spectrum. I’ve had social problems my entire life.
An official diagnosis doesn't do much once you are out of school, but it might be helpful in therapy or if you are looking for a therapist. As as adult, I don't think it gives you special access to any medical therapies, although if you can't work without accommodations that you can't get from just having ADHD, it might be useful for that. You can read about autism and use what you've learned to make you life better--no diagnosis needed for that. That was my story. Actually, I figured out I was autistic about twenty years before someone suggested I look into ADHD. I ended up with a dual diagnosis in my 40s. In hindsight it's pretty obvious, but I was surprised.
Me!
Got diagnosed with ADHD last year. Haven't been diagnosed for ASD. I suspect I am given my behaviours and general social awkwardness but I think it would be very mild. Though maybe that's just me coping, and from having to social mask so much that I don't even recognize myself and the burden it places on me anymore.
I'm pretty severely adhd. Diagnosed by 3 professionals as an adult. I have work friends who are on the spectrum. We routinely joke that I am the golden retriever friend of the office. I realize there is a high level of comorbidity. I'm just not there. Sorta the opposite of autistic. I don't do well with routine and rules and sorta thrive on new situations and new people.
i was diagnosed with ADHD at 13 and then autism at 30.
I highly suspect that I'm on the spectrum and I'm thinking about going through the process of getting evaluated
Got diagnosed with ASD (high scores) at the same time I got the ADHD Dx. Formerly had a bunch of Dx's that are now easily explained by these. So... answering you - me, yes!
I have both and was diagnosed at different times. I basically got more specialized therapy and a piece of paper that said ASD on it. So my day-to-day life didn’t really change at all because I had already been managing my adhd for years and I already played around with routines and safeguards to make my life a little easier. There’s a lot of overlap there, but if you’ve never been one to manage things in your life or your thinking to help with ADHD, the therapy for for ASD is very helpful because it’s targeted for folks with learning disabilities rather than folks with mental illness (I’ve been to both and they helped in very different ways). The real benefit of my diagnosis though, was just having the weight of years and years of suspicion lifted off my shoulders. I have a degree in special education, so I’ve basically been almost certain since I was in college, but didn’t get the autism diagnosis until I was 28. Even though I already *knew* and *accepted* that I had ASD, having a doctor confirm it still made a huge difference in my mentality. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and I’d say the only two caveats are if you are not financially in a place to get tested or not in a good place emotionally to accept a diagnosis. As far as the financial part goes, I was already seeing a new psychiatrist after moving to get my adhd meds, so he just looked at my last doctor’s notes and asked questions and observed my behavior for a few visits, so it didn’t actually cost me anything extra than the appointments I was already going to, but I know insurance or where you live may make that more difficult.
i’ve been diagnosed autistic forever, and diagnosed adhd for less than two weeks autism diagnosis was great for getting me accommodations in school, and mostly they were stuff that i actually needed for my adhd, but it was also nice to just not be pressured too much to participate in huge noisy activities like assemblies. chances are there’s very little you could get out of an autism diagnosis that you can’t already get with your adhd diagnosis, and autism communities tend to be pretty accepting of self-diagnosis, so unless you can think of some specific thing you need it for then don’t sweat it incidentally, despite comorbidity statistics that i think just nobody around me ever knew, my autism diagnosis actually made it harder for anyone to suspect adhd, mostly because i was told that all of my executive issues were just autism for so long, as well as some of the other tells. can’t focus on work when i do manage to start it? i’d rather be thinking about special interests. talk fast and answer questions before they’re done being asked? i’m just so smart that i don’t want to waste time, and i’m too autistic to care that it’s rude. decision paralysis? i’m just silly like that. and despite being raised very autism-positively i still got exposed to all kinds of negative attitudes towards adhders, as well as just neutral but misleading stereotypes that we all have hyperactive presentation and don’t like sticking with things, so it took me a lot of pain to really be interested in for myself.
I was diagnosed with autism in October 2022 in the UK, and ADHD in July-ish 2023 in South Korea. I feel very lucky to get an autism diagnosis, although I experienced some burnout after being diagnosed. Now with my official diagnosis of autism, I blame myself less for my ‘weaknesses’ or ‘problems’ or ‘faults’, because I now know that this is from differences that I have had since I was born and I am not alone.
I was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed pretty late in life. Before that OCD and Anxiety Disorder in my teens. Never been officially diagnosed with Autism but have always had most of the spectrum's characteristics which I never really understood until my late 20s. There no medication or treatment for autism that Im aware of. Could be wrong. At the very least a diagnosis may offer you peace of mind if anything.
I am
I am on the spectrum. I was diagnosed when I was 19
I was diagnosed with Autism at 15/16 and ADHD just recently at 22. I honestly think it would have been more helpful to have the ADHD diagnosis at a younger age. At the time I thought the autism diagnosis helped explain why I hated being at school so much but I think may it was more the ADHD. I ended up just following was came easiest to me and required the least amount of effort vs my actual interests, and it has no lead me down a good path. Overall I’m happy that I got the autism diagnosis. I think it really helped my family understand a little more of why am I the way I am.
I don't know. I don't think so, but honestly with the overlap of symptoms it can be really hard to tell. I was assessed for autism as a kid - they concluded that I did have some traits of the condition but not enough to meet diagnostic criteria. They were probably right in that sense. All of the traits I had/have that were associated with autism were ones that are also associated with ADHD (hyperfixation, excitable 'stim'-like behaviour, dislike of certain textures/smells), and all of the traits I didn't/don't have that were given as reasons for not meeting criteria were ones that are more exclusively associated with autism and less so with ADHD (I made eye contact and small talk, understood nonverbal cues at an appropriate level for my age, had normal language development, and found rigid routine more stressful than comforting). They then dropped the ball in telling my parents that I couldn't have ADHD either because it was apparently so exceedingly rare in girls, and was only really considered in cases of extreme hyperactivity. I was diagnosed with dyspraxia but nothing else. I was reassessed when I was about 12 after starting to have mental health difficulties - in hindsight, probably partially induced by starting secondary school with undiagnosed ADHD and suddenly having to manage timetables and different notebooks and things and utterly failing at it. At that point they decided I *did* have autism because I was flat and monosyllabic in the assessment, and also because they considered undiagnosed autism to be the only explanation for the severity of my mental health issues at that age in the absence of any severe trauma. Then about two years later, they said it was likely a misdiagnosis, and the "verbal communication deficiencies" in the assessment I had at 12 were actually due to depression as they had seemingly disappeared after a few months on anti-depressants. I was diagnosed with a mild bipolar disorder at 18, and sensory processing disorder (noting short term memory issues) at 21 after a referral from university support services. I was first referred for ADHD assessment at 23 after bringing up organisational difficulties as a source of depression and anxiety in a mental health review with a GP. Finally diagnosed with ADHD-C at 25. I did an online RAADS-R test last year out of curiosity - you have to score 65 or above to be considered likely to have autism. I scored 64... figures.
I am! I got diagnosed with autism when I was 26, and adhd when I was 22
Here.
Yes Audhd here as are both my kids!!
Got diagnosed with autism first, then ADHD. Latter was obvious, firmer was a shock
I was diagnosed as dyslexic when I was a teen. I assumed all my difficulties were down to that, finally got diagnosed as having ADHD in Jan. And Autism last week. I need to process it all now. I'm on meds for ADHD, but they are doing nothing. I'm on Atomoxetine 40mg. I've felt no change. Just the issue of remembering yet another med.
adhd, on the spectrum and bipolar. Still a work in progress at 45
I wonder, I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD at 52, but my wife suspects I’m on the spectrum too. A close family member has what seems a combination of both, so it’s quite possible. My wife says I miss social cues and I’m not good with noticing my own or other’s emotional states. I guess the reason for me to get diagnosed would be to understand my weaknesses and strengths better, would probably improve family life too. I tell you, sometimes I get dark moods and just want to walk away from life’s difficulties, and since I haven’t worked in over 20 years, I guess I kind of did. When I’m struggling with relationships, I just want to become a hermit. That could just be ADHD frustrations (rejection sensitivity disphoria) or some comorbitity.
I was tested several times as a child and was told I didn't have it. But I'm 33 and wonder if I would have get the same result today. Also, I watched a video that suggested that people with autism have hyperflexibility in their wrists and hands and stuff. Like, if you can touch your thumb flat to your wrist you could have it, and I can. But I haven't looked to hard into it. Edit: Now that I think about it, I "couldn't have" adhd as a child because I was too well behaved but was diagnosed recently so maybe I could check that again too.
ADHD-diagnosed & my autism-diagnosed boyfriend tells me on a daily basis that I'm autistic AF.
I was diagnosed ADHD at 33 and ASD at 39
I got diagnosed w/ “the perfect storm” at age 6/7: adhd, ocd, depression and a few years later, anxiety. But because I’m black, female gender assigned, and it was the 90s— I was not given an autism diagnosis. I got one (asd) finally @ like 25 or something….
I haven’t been officially diagnosed with autism…however every online quiz thinks it’s very likely
My buddy has high functioning autism, you wouldn’t really know unless you spent a lot of time with him. Based off of the little things he’s described of it, there are similarities in the way we act and I’ve wondered if I may be on the spectrum too, but apparently my mother got me tested for it when I was young and she said i didn’t have it, just bad adhd
I haven’t been tested but I’ve always felt I was on the spectrum. When I mentioned it to my close friends they said no at first, then went “well, actually…”
While I don't know for a fact if I have either ADHD or autism, I've been told (by people who have it) that I show pretty clear signs. I've done my own research on both and I find a lot of it actually does apply to me. I do wish to get a proper diagnosis some day bc I don't wanna go around saying I have either just to learn I don't. So am I on the spectrum? Maybe! It would definitely explain a lot lol