Anyone who has an ADHD diagnosis should also look into ASD. Comorbidity rate data range between 33% and 80% between ADHD and ASD. I’ve only discovered that recently after 10 years as an adult with ADHD. Since then I’ve been looking into the past and recalling things like toe walking as a child, intense sensory issues, painful social interactions, and speech issues. As I’ve done so I’ve also connected with a lot of support resources and community. It’s been really helpful to have a fuller understanding of my blind spots and predispositions. It both helps me adapt to accommodate my needs, but also accept my limitations and unique strengths. ASD is poorly understood by the medical and psychiatric communities; recent research is making some huge steps forward in diagnosing female autistic traits, genetics, and having autistic participation/leadership in research.
It’s more poorly understood by the general public. People seem to have the idea that spectrum refers to intensity of symptoms. In fact it refers to their diversity. Some people have strong social skills but lack executive function, others have sensory difficulties and struggle with daily activities like hygiene. There is no “high functioning” autism, there are people who are highly engaged at appearing “normal” to the detriment of their energy and identity, often referred to as ‘masking’.
https://carmenbpingree.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen...
My synthesis of the research and anecdotes I’ve collected is that ADHD and ASD are distinct, but there is also likely a unique diagnosis likely to come in the future that represents the combination of the two. All of them are associated with the same regions of the brain, predominantly basal ganglia and cerebellum. It’s incredibly heritable. There is strong evidence that there are connections with endocrine disruption. There is a strong connection with non-conforming gender identity and ‘audhd’ which seem to be related to similar hormonal dynamics.
Many many founders and world-changing folks have ADHD, ASD, or some combo. It leads them to think in unique and powerful ways, and to see through established social norms to make real change possible. A lot of “former gifted kids” fall into this bucket. Their ability to learn rapidly and emulate social behavior actually prevents them from getting support for their very real needs which are often understood as symptoms of other disorders like depression. The challenges of real life eventually catch up and can lead to catastrophic burnout and diminishing abilities.
If you have an ADHD diagnosis just do yourself a favor and spend some time on embrace-autism.com for some good info and credible assessments.
