ADHD or Asperger's?

[Poppydean]

My teenage daughter has an ADHD diagnosis, but her counselor thinks she may have mild Asperger's. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Alex1016]

Hi, my son just turned 11, he’s been diagnosed with adhd since he was in kindergarten and was evaluated twice by a team of doctors for autism spectrum and was found not to be on the spectrum. His aid and counselor at school think it is more than adhd and might be asperger’s. His doctor told us that asperger’s diagnosis has been changed into social communication disorder which my son has been diagnosed with after the second evaluation. I think it is not a clear science and it can be speculative sometimes because the symptoms of both adhd and asperger’s overlap especially with social communication issues.

[Poppydean in reply to Alex1016]

Thanks for your info and I agree that it's hard to differentiate with the overlap. She might just have really big social anxiety too.

[Flora_Fauna]

Hi My teenage son has just received his diagnosis of both ADHD (old ADD) & high functioning ASD (old Aspergers). My son presents with both, but the ASD became more apparent since he was 10 years old, I started to notice more social difficulties he was having at school, less eye contact & withdrawal in family social settings, & an increase with 'melt downs'. ..Thankfully now after having his diagnosis 'on paper' & medical records, he can finally now get the support he so desperately needs & deserves 🤗

[KristiReeAZ in reply to Flora_Fauna]

My son is in the exact same situation. May I ask what kinds of support you are finding that are helping him right now? Certain things in an IEP/504, etc.?

[Flora_Fauna in reply to KristiReeAZ]

Hi we have only (in the last month) just received his diagnosis (after 3 years of pushing, appointments etc) so atmo school are compiling his support plan, which will include the ASD support team associated with his school (enquire at your sons school as they should have further info ) i have received support outside of school via Forward Thinking Birmingham I did an NVR course online via Teams it was helpful & insightful. When I finally receive my sons IEP etc I will contact on here again via your reply sorry I haven't any further info atmo.

[Aspen797]

It would be good to look into this further. Girls and women with high functioning ASD are substantially more likely to go undiagnosed than boys. They “mask” better than boys and their behaviors tend to be dismissed as shy/anxious.

If she is on the spectrum, education and skill building now could help her self esteem, relationships, career readiness and potentially prevent being taking advantage of sexually—a heightened risk with females on the spectrum.

In addition to the many groups out their with information on ASD and ADHD. Facebook has some groups you might find informative where adults with ASD (e.g. Ask Autistic Adult group) give insights and answer questions posed by parents of children on the spectrum (or suspected).

[Mmagusin]

We’re going through this very same thing. Psychologist thinks my son has ASD, not just ADHD, and this is the first time we’ve heard it. He’s 13 and has always had low social intelligence, that is, not properly reading emotions or social situations. Unlike the common perception of autism, my son is very social, overly even. He loves hugs and touch. He gets too attached to people, even strangers. He lacks understanding of social boundaries. He can have engaging conversations with others one day, but then say something completely nonsensical the next. He struggles with coping and problem solving through social conflict and disappointment. All this we attributed to ADHD, but we’re learning it might actually be autism in disguise.

[User4110 in reply to Mmagusin]

My oldest child has ADHD and my youngest has high functioning autism (asperger’s/ASD). He was tested by a team of psychologists that were trained in ASD and their practice was with ASD children only. I recommend full testing by a truly skilled and experienced team because otherwise it’s just a guess by well meaning professionals. One of the most important things I’ve learned with both of my kids is that if I don’t seek out professionals that have a lot of experience in each child’s diagnosis, the therapist or psychiatrist does not understand the nuances well enough to do the best job for my child. I have seen this with both therapists and psychiatrists. Just my experience. I wish you the best!