ADHD and ASD

[Fayerweather]

Hi all,

So, when my cousin said they got diagnosed with ADHD around the same time I realized I had it, they also said they were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I took a casual look at autism signs, and since I've always had a pretty healthy social life, and am very good at recognizing microexpressions and social cues, I thought "well, that doesn't really describe me."

Until I took an autism spectrum test. Then fully half of the questions felt extremely familiar. Particularly the parts about having a pattern to the day, and liking to do things the same way all the time. The questions about being upset when my routines are disrupted, and how people think I'm rude when I'm not also resonated very hard, as did the preferring to do things on my own, and not liking to meet new people. I also have a deadpan expression a lot of the time. I call it my "bitchy resting face" and thought it was something else my whole life, but now I'm second guessing this...

So I think I might have moderate autism, and if it is genetic, and my cousin has it, then I think it's highly likely that I'm on the spectrum somewhere.

Not sure what to do going forward. I want to be assessed by a neurologist for both ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, as I've been diagnosed with ADHD once, by a quicky private company so that I could get medication, but I want a full workup now. If anyone else has any advise about diagnosis, or just life living with both ADHD and ASD, please feel free to share!

[Wasted71years]

Hi Fayerweather

ASD is a common comorbidity with ADHD. While I personally don't have it, quite a few do have to deal with both.

A competent diagnosis is really important here. Some of the things you mentioned with ASD can also be side effects of ADHD and not ASD.

The deadpan face is part of the masking we can adopt, hiding the inner person from the world because we accepted so many false narratives and judgements about ourself. If we think we are lazy, thoughtless, unreliable, incompetent, then we will assume that anyone seeing the real us will see those flaws and reject us.

Not like to be around new people can stem from the rejection sensitivity that is a common feature of ADHD. Working memory defects make it hard for us to switch to something and then resume where we left off, thus we feel annoyance at being diverted from what we are doing.

Now those things are also behaviors that are found with ASD (as far as I know with limited personal knowledge of the spectrum). That is why a very skilled diagnostician who understands both autism and ADHD is going to be very helpful in identifying your situation.

[Fayerweather in reply to Wasted71years]

Thank you for the perspective. I think some of the symptoms, like the need to fidget and stim, or the discomfort with too much stimulation from my environment, could absolutely be ADHD. But now, I am remembering more and more things. I walked on my tiptoes all the time as a little kid. I thought it was because I was pretending to be a ballerina or a horse (what I told myself when I was little), but then read recently that that is a sign of ASD behavior in children. I've had moments of inability to verbalize my thoughts when I'm confused or scared or anxious. I also experience mild spoken echolalia, and quite frequent inside my head echolalia, though I hear that can be ADHD as well.

I just feel like my strong internal resistance to change is connected to ASD. Also, I have games I play in my head about numbers a lot, and have focused a lot on license plates and astrology dates and phone numbers. I am very literal minded, and often struggle to adequately and appropriately express my emotions.

There are a lot of non-ASD things about me as well. I love touch. I can make direct eye contact without trouble. I am pretty good at reading people socially, but might be a bit blind to my effect on others, and far more eagle eyed surrounding how other people are with other people.

It's all a mystery really, but I've seen a lot in the symptoms of ASD that resonate with me.

[Zoe37]

it’s funny how you say that cuz people say same about me they say I have the look that says I’m nasty cold Harted bitch or that I’m up to no good but that’s not case at all they just don’t understand or maybe I can’t explain properly I no wot I mean though

[Fayerweather in reply to Zoe37]

I get you. People have always thought of me as intense and grumpy and angry. Unapproachable. I always knew my face was dead-pan or kind of grumpy looking, but didn't know why. Maybe it's connected to ASD?

[Knitting20projects]

It’s definitely something that was less well understood when we were kids (I’m 50). It’s interesting how, since getting an ADHD diagnosis myself recently, I have started focusing on making things a better fit for my strengths and weaknesses. Or trying to. Maybe as you think about it more, you’ll feel more strongly about whether you need that question answered. I realize now how clueless my own family (parents & siblings) are about neurodiversity and my self knowledge is helping me feel better about myself despite their ignorance. Sorry for the rambling response!!! (ADHD brain at 10:30 pm) but trying to say that learning more about yourself, even if you don’t have ASD but maybe social anxiety or whatever or nothing else, is empowering.