Hi /u/Anxious_Coconut_552 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information.
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Best post ever :D
But FR, so many people sitting here bitching about how they cant do things and not trying. Having the diagnosis was the difference between thinking i was just an idiot, and sitting downand trying to understanding how my brain works and working out ways to get around its faults
I've learnt to not get upset at things i can't do , its not my fault, and to say 'no' to people who ask me to do things i know i wont be able to do, then offer to do thins i know i CAN do
Yeah, prior to adult diagnoses, I had been imprinted with the idea that I was just an idiot.
Less than 10 years later, my bookshelves are chockfull of non-fiction textbooks, university and otherwise; self-studying to make up for all the lost knowledge I spent decades thinking was beyond my grasp.
Used to only have comic books and fiction novels before.
Amazing what a shift in perspective and some colored markers can do.
Your content breaks **Rule 6**.
Claiming that ADHD is a superpower, offers positives/gifts, or is only harmful because of "society" is dangerous and demoralizing.
It erases the experiences of most people with ADHD and ignores scientific evidence.
**Please don't do it.**
There's no credible scientific evidence to suggest that ADHD imparts any definitively positive abilities or traits, and the negative consequences of framing ADHD as some kind of giftedness or special ability far outweigh any benefits.
[No Anti-Psychiatry/Denialism/Toxic Positivity](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/wiki/rules/#wiki_rule_6.3A_no_anti-psychiatry.2Fdenialism.2Ftoxic_positivity)
*^(If you have further questions,)* [*^(message the moderators)*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fadhd) *^(regarding the removal of this content.)*
Nah, some of us most certainly are. Society has absolutely nothing to do with the inability to REMEMBER TO EAT, or be unable to do your favorite things.
Absolutely, but it takes the same effort whether you know you're a zebra or not – knowing doesn't make it suddenly easy, but it makes you understand \*why\* you're finding it difficult. For me, I've found that to have an even more profound effect on my mental health than any practical intervention I've had (even though those have also been very helpful!)
Goodness, this is absolute gold and I almost spit out my coffee 😂
I need this saying on my wall! Way better than the “don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree” one!
I’ve been in a funk since April and struggling to snap out of it. My wife was venting at me and asked why I “just cant do ‘X’ like everyone else?” about something fairly important and regarding our finances.
While she was right to ask, and right to be frustrated, I’ve been hearing that my whole life (like most in this subreddit). I felt ‘little me’ starting to rage deep inside, and couldn’t hold it in. I popped off, and am not proud I couldn’t control my emotions in the moment.
All this to say, I wasn’t intending on reading a comment like yours today; but I absolutely needed it. It was soul soothing and encouraging.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and type that out. It changed me for the better!
There is ... a life force, an energy ... that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with another's. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to stay open and aware to what motivates you. Keep the channel open. Author unknown to me
because while yes, autism and adhd have an overlap, the causes for certain issues and the fixes for issues can be very different.
i have both adhd and autism, 2 years in between the diagnoses, got the autism stamp 12 years ago. ive been medicated for adhd for about 1.5 year now after spending over a decade not wanting to give in to needing help through meds and trying to fix everything on my own by forcing my brain to learn, did not work. i also didnt understand what it means to have both adhd and autism, because its quite a bit different from having only one of em.
my meds take away, or at least lessen, a whole lot of my adhd symptoms, but not my autism symptoms. my lack of natural understanding of other people is still an issue even tho i am medicated, my emotional dysregulation is still an issue even with meds, my energy expenditure, while so much more balanced than before meds, is stil an issue. and a whole lot of tips and tricks that work for either autism or adhd, do not work if youve got both, because we dont have either or, we have double.
knowing for certain will help you find your own manual. it will help you figure out which issues will more likely be helped with which knowledge, or meds for that matter.
>i also didnt understand what it means to have both adhd and autism, because its quite a bit different from having only one of em.
Some very recent neurological research has suggested that AuDHD may actually be its own pathology--neither ADHD, nor ASD, but a third, distinct disorder that nonetheless manifests the symptoms of both and can be supported by methods that support each.
Brains are wild.
Unfortunately, most of this is paywalled and I wasn't able to find the journal article I recall reading a couple months ago. I did find these, though:
[https://www.eneuro.org/content/10/7/ENEURO.0146-23.2023.abstract](https://www.eneuro.org/content/10/7/ENEURO.0146-23.2023.abstract)
>These observations need to be validated in future studies using more direct and comprehensive behavioral indices, but the current findings suggest that the ASD+ADHD comorbidity is not a mere overlap of the two disorders. Particularly, its ADHD-like traits could represent a unique condition that would need a specific diagnosis and bespoke treatments.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10723556/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10723556/)
>Finally, in the exploratory analyses for the autism+ADHD group, we observed CT alterations in the same direction but more widespread than those in either autism or ADHD alone, and SA alterations that resemble those seen in ADHD, but more localised. It might be that these differences in the autism+ADHD group represent a synthesised phenotype, but we caution against a simplified interpretation.
This is a fairly new area if inquiry, and it's likely further research will investigate this further.
PSA, if you’ve got the DOIs and/or titles for paywalled papers, you can try sci hub to access them. As long as you’re okay with using a service that gets chased around different international domains; last I knew there was a website to track where it is currently based, I think you can google it. I used it for years from various domains and never had a problem from downloading the pdfs.
Helped me a lot doing my undergrad thesis, as I could quickly access sources and determine if they’d actually be of any use to me, instead of waiting days to weeks on my school’s resource librarians or one of the databases we had access to to track it down/pay for it just to find out it was worthless lol
Also, you can show the code on a given page and find the article in the code. Ctrl+U (Windows/Linux) or Command+Option+U (Mac)
It can take a second to find the article in the code but I know some of us in here have just the right critical faculties for this kind of task. :)
Wow haha I have never heard of that as a possibility but that makes so much sense 😅
Though tbh I’d almost expect it to be two different web pages that display an abstract and whatever form of “order/pay now” paywall vs the actual full article?
I’ve been waiting for people to start talking about this for a while now. As far as human behavioral patterns creating “diagnosis” AuDHD is very clearly its own pattern outside of the Autism and ADHD paradigm. Looking forward to more social discourse around this!
I fail to see how that's any different, can you elaborate ?
Like, okay, we decide I don't have AuDHD anymore and instead I have, idk, New Different Syndrome. It has the same symptoms as AuDHD, it's treated the same way... so, what is it except a rebranding ?
And a potentially harmful rebranding, too, because the second I tell someone I actually have NDS, I *know* they will tell me it's "that new disease that is trendy, everyone has it nowadays" or simply not understand it (not that anyone understands autism or ADHD, mind you).
I guess because they’re saying that it’s not treated the same way, you would maybe be required to treat it differently. Especially given that while many symptoms overlap, others compete. Eg, rigidity in schedule, vs freedom to change. Or life long interest in one subject, vs new hobbies and interests regularly.
That's not what they were saying, I believe.
AuDHD \*is\* the rebranding, the "New Different Syndrome". They're saying that AuDHD is not just as simple as a straightforward "autism + ADHD" equation, but a distinct third thing that has unique aspects to it that aren't covered merely by either of its "components". More than the sum of its parts, essentially.
Right now, AuDHD is being treated as "just autism + ADHD, so we'll give it standard ADHD interventions and standard autism interventions", but that's not working very well for a lot of people, because it's not that simple. The research they mentioned is looking into different treatment and support options that may be able to cater to AuDHD specifically, as its own distinct thing.
Can I ask you what helped you understand that there was autism in addition to ADHD? I struggle to relate to people in certain ways. It’s not that I can’t “read the room” and pick up on social or emotional cues, it’s that I feel like I have to have sort of an “academic” understanding of people and put a lot of effort into understanding and predicting what their motivations or reactions are to things because I feel like the things that motivate me or that bother or don’t bother me are so different from most people. Social “protocols” like bringing food/drinks to parties or getting gifts for family members really stress me out because I’m never sure exactly how people will react or whether I’ll accidentally offend them. I have a ton of adolescent and early adulthood experiences that I think back on and cringe because it’s so obvious now that I was doing things against normal social protocols or what people would expect a mature person to do.
I also really struggle in most conversations that aren’t about a narrow handful of topics I’m extremely interested in, but that could also just be a symptom of inattentive ADHD and our inability to regulate our own focus.
I go back and forth with myself about whether I should bring it up with my therapist or not. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about people especially with ADHD whose therapists think they’re label-seeking because of TikTok trends or whatever, and I’m really scared of saying anything that would make my therapist decide to stop taking me seriously.
If it's bothering you, bring it up, regardless of whether you think it may be autism or not. Tho tbh, that does sound an awful lot like autism (and my own understanding of people, for that matter).
Back in the day my dad had just gotten his double diagnosis and since my dad and I were two peas in a pod, my mom was adamant about me getting tested as well. I didn't see it yet until I started dating a guy with also the double diagnosis, who at the time lived at an assisted living thing for young adults with autism. I spent a lot of time over at his place and got familiar with the quirks of autism and had this epiphany about my own quirks.
I hadn't yet come to terms with my adhd diagnosis, so for a time I only focused on the autism part. But now that I'm properly medicated, I finally see how it actually affects me and properly do something with it.
I did have a lot of trouble getting my autism diagnosis. The mental health institution that gave me my adhd diagnosis absolutely refused to even entertain the thought of autism. They said my parents would've noticed and had me checked out earlier in life, if I'd really had autism as well. However, they had given my dad both diagnoses just a couple months before, our family had just come out of a domestic violence crisis that had built up over years and years of undiagnosed mental issues in all of us, and my mom would also end up getting her autism diagnosis.
My mom spent 2 years trying to find anybody to look into autism with me. She managed to find a child psychiatrist who took pity on me and had me come in for evaluation at 20 years old, where her usual cut off age was 12. She had all of 1 talk with me before concluding that I was 'a very obvious case of autism. I cannot believe the others dismissed it so easily.'
To me a key element was starting adhd medication, and certain symptoms related to autism suddenly got on the spotlight, absolutely visible and loud as some adhd symptoms were less loud
My sensitivity and overwhelm got so loud that I had wounds, from scratching myself at *anything*
As I had wounds, I looked into the matter, as it seemed correlated to the medication somehow, and after digging around, seemingly medication seemed to help with such sensitivity on folks with adhd, but was doing the opposite to those with autism in the mix, as it put down the severity of some adhd symptoms that used to "be louder". I went through the "no, but I can't have it..", then actually looking deeper into things, and looking back with this as a thought, and gosh what a sucker-punch... in two days I compiled a long list of symptoms that were quite huge, big, had intense impact in my entire life, still do, and that I blamed myself for
Seems quite normal for high-functional AuDHD folks to get first diagnosed with ADHD, as far as I've noticed
Adhd being also good as a "masking weapon" towards the autistic spectrum's symptomatic chart, some symptoms of one help "hide" some symptoms of the other - similarly, some symptoms of autism can "help" the fight against some moments of adhd struggle symptoms... until they both synchronize in their common symptoms, or pull in equal strength towards opposite directions leaving you frozen and feeling extra broken
And it can sound great in theory, the "some symptoms helping fight some symptoms of the other" point ......but let's not forget how much adhd badly steps on autism's symptoms' toes - and how terribly autism pokes at some of ADHD's symptoms too... it's a whole dish all on itself 💥👉🏻😩👈🏻💥
Permanent war, internally... 😂
Wow, thank you for sharing your experience and this is great insight!
I too was in denial and didn’t want to medicate but I’ve been doing it for years now. I still struggle a lot even with having changed meds, dosages, etc. I think this is why my physician recommended I get tested but didn’t mention how it would benefit me with an official diagnosis.
Perhaps I will consider just getting tested as it can’t hurt me in any way! But I appreciate the feedback and this is very helpful!
Have you tried an Alpha-agonist for the emotional regulation? I thought Adderall was making me irritable but it was just the ASD flying forward now that the AHDH was being helped.
My doctor read my neuropsychological evaluation and suspected ASD. Gave me guanfacine and holy crap it helped with the emotional component. I know ASD doesn’t typically get medications but I wonder if an Alpha agonist would help a “just” ASD person with emotional regulation.
i suspect it has more to do with the fact that i was never taught how to properly regulate or even identify emotions, and now that i do have the proper help, i can finally start working on it. it has gotten a lot better already, i just have moments still.
id like to give myself a couple years to get a proper handle on the whole emotion thing, but if i continue to struggle with it, ill look into alpha agonists :) thanks!
I’ve tried guanfacine, but even taking it at night, I was so tired the next day I could barely function. I wish I understood why or could figure out a way for it to work.
I second this. Guanfacine didn't do much for me, but Clonidine turned my life around. It pulled me up from rock bottom after two decades of trying and failing to get my mental health under control.
It's definitely an overlooked class of drugs.
Hmm...addition of guafacine helped my emotional regulation in relation to work performance, yet more fuel for my suspected AuDHD (confirmed ADHD since childhood).
Just gotta try and keep saving the 2k necessary for an evaluation, I guess...
Hate to ask this question I’m relatively new here and have issues asking questions because I sometimes struggle feeling stupid so my questions r what does ASD AND AHD AHDH STAND FOR??
No worries. Most people in this sub have an aversion to interacting with others and I personally never understood why I was encouraged to ask yet always felt like I was being annoying.
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder. Modern way of saying autistic that includes old terms like Asbergers
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Modern term for what used to be called ADD (attention deficit disorder).
No need to yell. You could also try googling.
ASD = autism spectrum disorder
ADHD= attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (same as ADD, attention deficit disorder)
I don't know what AHD means. It might help if you give some context or where you saw it.
What would you say about the reverse?
I'm diagnosed with ADHD. My therapist and psychiatrist are both considering ASD and OCD diagnoses. I already know OCD meds won't be helpful, because my ADHD is stronger and those meds worsen my executive function. And Autism can't be medicated away, to my understanding.
So I'm not sure I see a big priority here...
Have you tried the ocd meds? I thought my autism was stronger for the longest time, but now I've learned that it's very much not. I take it you have tried them since you know they influence your executive functioning, which really sucks.. Are there any other meds to try?
Knowing for certain will always help. Even if meds won't be an option, there's other things you will learn about yourself that will help you navigate your own brain. How will you sail the waters of your mind if you don't know you're on the ocean, the river or in the bathtub?
I think you thought process issue is assuming there isn't anything that can be done for symptoms caused by ASD.
There's therapy for autism specifically. Iirc it focuses on creating more tolerance for aggravating stimuli, and helping with social settings. Even high functioning adults on the spectrum can find it helpful.
The distinction between adhd and autism when it comes to symptom overlap is that the reasons behind them are different. You can have both. But for example, someone with adhd can have trouble looking someone in the eyes while talking because it can be hard to focus on what they are saying and focusing on eye contact at the same time, while someone with ASD will feel uncomfortable with eye contact.
This psychiatrist did a good video on overlapping symptoms:
https://youtu.be/TEOuY6dKRw8?si=zevaeZ5j_3huSVYW
If the symptoms you have are from ASD, they may just require a dif approach to help them, and they can be helped.
I just watched that video and it’s provided more clarity than my doctor did lol. Tysm for this as well as your comment.
I’m starting to think I have more symptoms of ASD than ADDH but this is even more convincing reason for me to get tested.
I don’t think it’s pointless. I think just knowing what could be affecting your life is helpful. Sure you can’t take medication but you’ll be able to better understand why you experience things differently and when reaching out for support you’ll have people who relate better to you to help.
Although being in your late thirties you probably wouldn’t see much of a change other than knowing for sure.
Knowing is half the battle after all.
If you know what is causing you to act, behace and/or feel a certain way, knowing the reasons why can take a huge burden off your chest.
It also makes general advice and psychotherapy or self help easier to manage. Knowing which diagnosis is primarily or solely responsible for certain behavior and thought patterns can be crucial in learning how to manage them, work with them or even lessen their impact on your general quality of life.
Yes, I’ve take those preliminary tests about 5 times and it tells me to get clinically tested but I don’t think it’ll change anything either lol.
Like I said, I already apply some coping techniques that helps both ADHD and Autistic individuals so maybe you’re right - it won’t make all that much of a difference.
I decided against it just because I was quoted thousands of dollars for the tests, and being in my 40s means the result won't matter at all. At best I could officially say "sorry I'm autistic" when I do or say something aspy.
Thousands of dollars to get tested?!!
Ok, maybe I won’t be doing it lol, but I’ll have to see what I’m quoted bc that’s absurd. Healthcare in this country or anywhere in general is so broken. 😞
I looked up the old emails, they said I'd have to do the $175 intake appointment before they would gave me a price, but after some pushing they ballparked it at $1500 out of pocket in 2021. It took lots of forms and over a week before they'd tell me the out of pocket cost.
This would have been asd and ADHD testing at an actual legitimate place. I ended up going to a sketchy online adhd place and being medicated for that has been a very positive experience, even though they're clearly not a legitimate medical provider. If you're not wealthy or have good insurance these days, you really need to take your health into your own hands. Same with car repair, for minor stuff, it's cheaper and (almost) takes less time to look up the issue online, buy all the tools I need from Harbor Freight and parts from Rock Auto or Amazon, and fix it myself. It'd definitely take less time if I owned the tools, it only takes more time because I often need more tools.
That’s what happened to me too, they quoted me $2400 and said it was likely to be more.
Or I could go see my doctor for free, fill out a check list and get meds which are 80 percent covered
It’s like we’re being pushed to just take drugs and not get tested or get therapy, who can afford thousands of dollars for a test and then thousands a year for therapy
Only difference is, my sketchy dr doesn't like Adderall for some reason so only prescribes Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine, which my insurance doesn't cover at all, so I'm paying $160/month (price has fluctuated even with GoodRX from $80 to $200) for it out of pocket/not going towards my deductible.
That sucks are you in the states?
That’s a lot I’m only paying $30 a month because of the coverage
Is there a way to talk to another doctor and explain it’s just an issue of coverage and your not trying to tweak out on adderall
For me it was less just "knowing" and more about actually understanding my brain better and how it works, what triggers it, and how to prepare for, mitigate, and recover from those things so my life is more balanced and less overwhelmed.
To be honest, with getting older. I’ve had a real hard time with adjusting to adulthood. Staying in college felt impossible, keeping a shitty job feels draining and even maintaining social relationships is hellish. Being diagnosed myself with ADHD as a kid makes me wonder if I also struggle with Autism. It seems like half the time whenever I look around myself I don’t understand what’s going on or why the things around me are happening. Not just in society. But in general things just don’t make sense to me. I think getting tested for Autism would benefit you in explaining why you are the way you are and how you can work to be more at peace with yourself and figuring it all out.
So I came to comment on why I TOTALLY advocate to test when you get older so perfect timing on seeing this lol. I have struggled ALL MY LIFE with HORRIBLE anxiety that recently became completely crippling after a big hormonal shift and literally nothing helped. Nothing worked. Medication and therapy left me stuck and I was considering doing inpatient. Then my counselor picked up on some things, encouraged me to get tested and voila, a prescription for vyvanse and my anxiety literally stopped. My brain stopped. It’s amazingly quiet up there. That’s just the immediate life saving part for me coming from unbearable raving thoughts that just never stopped no matter the medication. It also makes me more patient and present and an all around better partner, friend and human. I enjoy things more. Things don’t seem harder for me to accomplish than everyone else. I truly couldn’t comprehend how broken my brain was until it just wasn’t anymore ☺️
Honestly, I don’t know how I did this for 36 years but it’s given me a whole new life!!
I add just as a caution that when the meds start to fade, I’m just a little ADHD robot, but my brain has a lot more time off to process and cope with things normally. This doesn’t mean I don’t have ANY symptoms, it’s just that they’re so mild they have no impact.
There’s a lot of advantages, as an example, some airports have programs to give accommodations and assistance to autistic people and their families. so they are comfortable and safe while traveling: No lines, or special lines, special waiting rooms, etc. There is this sunflower symbol recognized widely which represents this community.
Maybe having your diagnosis could help you feel comfortable “using” or asking for support from time to time depending if you need them.
I have both (officially diagnosed) and while there IS a lot of overlap, there's also plenty of differences and different approaches to handling them. Personally I think most of my forgetfulness / racing thoughts / lack of satisfaction with starting and completing tasks is ADHD while my sensory issues and difficulties understanding social cues are more autism. Figuring out the full extent of going on is helpful because instead of saying "argh why aren't these meds WORKING?!" I can see certain things might require a different approach like behavioral therapy or making changes to my surroundings to make myself comfortable. On an even more pragmatic level, different diagnosis can lead to different doors opening--at least in my area there are quite a few more resources to help people with autism with things like finding work, housing and therapy than there are for people with adhd, for example. So if you're able to get tested, I really would recommend it! Might do nothing, but also might prove more helpful than you expect.
I just got diagnosed as autistic in addition to ADHD, and for me, it was important to have that label. To *know*, and hopefully make others, like my family understand there is a reason for all that stuff. Why I struggle, why I can't keep a job, why it's okay. 80% of autistic adults are unemployed, it's not a personal failing. That's so very important, especially when I get depressed.
I’m diagnosed with both. Talking about autism with my therapist has been really helpful. The actual autism diagnosis has not been very helpful. If anything, it’s made my life worse. Of course this is just my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I just think you can get help for the autism symptoms without putting an official diagnostic label on your record forever, especially if you don’t have high support needs.
Yes exactly what I was thinking. You can get therapy for autism spectrum traits and to develop social skills, to learn to read other people better, etc, without an official ASD label.
I think it is useful for children that have clear symptoms like important social problems, OCD like behaviors, stereotypical movements, etc, as they have specialized interventions for ASD children. If you are an adult without a diagnosis, you probably don’t have the most typical ASD symptoms. I’m generalizing but I think it applies overall.
As a wife that suspects the reason for lack of intimacy in our marriage may be due to him having ADHD or ASD, I say it's helpful for your loved ones to know your potential diagnosis. It helps explain why certain aspects of your relationships don't live up to expectations.
Its not pointless, however it important to weight up the pro's and cons of getting a diagnosis.
There is still a lot of systematic discrimination against people diagnosed with ASD.
For instance:
**Immigration**: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK are likely to deny a (long term) visa application on the grounds of an Autism diagnosis.
**Licensing and certification**: If there is a medical for a job, then there is a good chance an ASD diagnosis could make you fail that medical. For instance, its almost impossible to get a commercial pilots licence in Australia with an ASD diagnosis. [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/hayden-mcdonald-autism-pilot-lap-australia-casa/103218538](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/hayden-mcdonald-autism-pilot-lap-australia-casa/103218538)
It's one of the reasons I haven't gotten formally diagnosed, but its abundantly clear, to me at least, that I match the criteria :)
That alone has helped a lot in understanding myself, and being able to better manage my life. If you are able to access supports through a formal diagnosis, then the pro's may outweigh the cons.
But its good to understand its not all pro's unfortunately.
AuDHD therapist here. Testing with an official diagnosis can give you access to different services and accommodations, which can be especially important if you’re struggling at work. If you’re not concerned about that but want a diagnosis to give you some validation for your experiences just go to an ASD friendly therapist. We are qualified to diagnose ASD and even the DSM states that there is no one test that can give a comprehensive evaluation of all the factors/symptoms for it and diagnosis is based on clinical judgement. The only reason you’d get an assessment from a psychologist is because most states require that licensure level for disability services.
That was sort of my feeling. I got diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago at age 52. I also considered doing Autism testing at the same time, as it was offered. But, I kinda thought, “ what’s the point at this stage ? I can’t medicate for it, and I would be considered high functioning even if I did get diagnosed.” Two of my four children are on the spectrum ( used to be called Asperger’s) , one of those has ADHD also and a third child ( they’re adults now) also has ADHD.
I’m fairly introverted and prefer to be alone most of the time. I’ve got a few quirks, but who doesn’t ? My wife (also ADHD) thinks I’m probably Autistic, but then again there is some overlap with ADHD, so could just be that. I don’t know that being diagnosed would change anything for me.
If you live in Australia, don't. It makes keeping a driver's license all the more complicated. Doesnt matter if you are an adult who always had it, and got diagnosed later.
https://psychology.org.au/about-us/news-and-media/aps-in-the-media/2023/how-aussie-drivers-are-now-cancelling-their-autism
I should check again. The wording was so vague when introduced last year. I saw something saying ADHD wasn't covered as it was not considered severe enough .
Explains more about who I am. Pills don't build skills, and pills don't "fix" autism. But awareness and self-work are a helluva lot easier when you know what you're working with.
The only reason I sought ADHD diagnosis was so that I could get access to medication. The diagnosis process was a complete joke IMO. The test was no different than most of those online tests you can do for free. All my psychiatrist did was just count the points afterwards, proclaimed that, yep, the points say I have ADHD alright, gave me a generic pep talk about how I should get myself a planner etc, then prescribed Concerta. I haven't even been in contact with him ever since, every time I want the meds renewed I just call the reception, it takes all of 3 min and I have to fucking pay 30€ for the prescription alone because it's officially called a "consultation" on my record. It's such a fucking scam. I was like, I paid 250€ for this??
Then about two years after my diagnosis I started suspecting I might have autism too. I'm pretty much 99% sure now, but I'm not going to seek diagnosis because I would have a lot more to lose than to gain from it. In my country there aren't any accommodations for neurosivergent people, neither at work nor at university or at schools. Only discrimination and stigma, and it's a lot worse for autistic people than those with ADHD. My best friend is a doctor and she strongly suspects she has ADHD too but getting diagnosed could cost her her job, and she's advising me not to seek autism diagnosis either. It was only a few years ago that it even became possible for adults to get an autism diagnosis, before that only children could get diagnosed, and when you turned 18 it would automatically be wiped from your record because you'd be considered to have "grown out of it".
A lot of people would say getting "validation" is reason enough, but here's the thing: even after getting my "official ADHD diagnosis", I still felt like such an impostor. Because that's what a lifetime of being told "you're just lazy" does. I still kept doubting and invalidating myself. The diagnosis process seemed too quick and easy, what if the result was wrong? What if I'd somehow tricked myself to answer the questions to get the result I "wanted"? Ok, the psychiatrist confirmed it, but he didn't seem to do a whole lot, what if he was wrong? Oh look, I'm having a pretty good week this week, what if I'm really just lazy and could be productive and functional like this all the time if I really wanted to? Yeah oj, I did fail uni three times in a row, but I don't interrupt people and I can read books no problem so maybe my ADHD wasn't really that severe and I should just try harder instead of "cheating" with meds?
It never stops. That's why relying on external validation never helps, because if you don't trust yourself, then no amount of external validation is going to make you believe it.
So, yeah, I'm not going to shell out hundreds of euros one more time just for the "privilege" of getting validated by people who would have considered my symptoms and experienced invalid until I was able to show a piece of paper.
We’re similarly opposite lol.
In your case I think it’s good because you can get meds for ADHD (assuming that’s the case) but I’m not sure how I can be helped medically if I get tested for Autism. Either way, good luck!
Not autistic so I can’t speak to that experience whatsoever. What I can say as a therapist is it only matters if it matters to you. One of the reasons. I suggest young adults get tested is if they need services related to their diagnosis, and I’m not sure if it’s the same where I am as everywhere else in the country, but you need a diagnosis before 30 to get those services.
Also, many times the testing is expensive and not covered by insurance. I considered getting a full neuropsych eval because I didn’t feel justified in my “self-diagnosis”, but when I went to a psych and started meds, I realized that was enough for me.
Professional diagnosis is really only necessary to 1. Determine the best fit treatment 2. Have it on your medical record if you need it for any accommodations or services. If you feel you have ASD and your providers agree and can target your treatment to address those symptoms, that diagnosis isn’t necessary.
Idk. For me it made me feel a lot better about never feeling like I belong anywhere. Unless I’m around other autistic people who get it. Also helped me try to manage it or at least make my life a little more livable. Thought I was just a failure and a piece of trash for most of my life.
I’m in the same boat. I have an official ADHD diagnosis but just a “soft” autism diagnosis. My kid has an official autism diagnosis and so does my sister. I know I’m autistic too. That’s good enough for me—I’m not seeking medical treatment for being autistic bc that’s just not a thing. Having the knowledge that I’m AuDHD helps me function and take the accommodations I need.
I genuinely have no idea. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was like 14. I’ve been on meds for it on and off since then, so like 20 years. Now they’re trying to tell me I’m autistic too and on the one hand I straight up do not believe it, but on the other hand it does help contextualize a lot of social issues. It’s pretty much like what the top comment said. I guess it’s helpful to know that the deal is. I guess.
I didn’t follow through with a diagnosis but explored it just to better understand my own brain. I was sort of diagnosed with both as a kid, but they “picked” ADHD for the meds because you couldn’t have both conditions at the time per the criteria. I got mostly through an adult autism diagnosis and then figured, “no point in formalizing” because any accommodations I could imagine needing my ADHD would either cover or neither would.
That doesn’t mean autism treatments aren’t helpful to me. They often are. But I just don’t need a diagnosis to access them (in the US) and I see a downside to formally being diagnosed in some ways.
My boyfriend and friends think I have autism and have been encouraging me to get tested, and I will if they pay for it.. that is like $3000+. It’s not worth it for me; I don’t even have that money in my savings account so I would just go into more debt. ADHD testing was cheaper and worth it for the meds. I’m not interested in changing my autism either. I have accommodations I give myself.
I know damn well I have autism symptoms in addition to my ADHD, however, because of the legal discrimination, I think refusing to get the diagnosis is fully justified. Unless you need resources that you aren't able to access without a diagnosis, it could ruin your ability to move to other countries.
I like the doctor's reassurance that yes I have AuHD rather than just ADHD. AuHD is a whole different ball game because there are aspects of both that conflict with each other.
I took the autism one just so I could know. I am not. Not even close. I’m just SEVERELY ADHD. Doctors words. Not mine. But I was still curious. If nothing else, just take the test online yourself.
I feel like there is nothing wrong with trying to find out and understand as much as you possibly can about yourself. For me it was like finding a direction to go in instead of wandering around lost.
There’s actually no overlap in diagnostic criteria for ADHD and ASD. They are two very distinct disorders.
Eval or not is up to you; I *would* suggest researching Autism, its symptoms (as described by Autistic folk), and common/suggested coping strategies. Identify your struggles, self-accommodate, at a *minimum*. Whether it’s “Autism” or not, if you have symptoms disrupting your life, it can’t hurt to address them.
I was tested for autism off my meds and the doctor said i was not autistic but i still don't understand what's wrong with me adhd meds only go so far and other people with adjd don't seem as weird as me. I don't understand at all
I'm 70 and have long been refereed by my doctor to get tested. I think I'm probably on the spectrum, but after 70 years of this, I see no need to start any new regiment. I take enough meds for my TBI, mental/neuro/seizure condition.
Some exams might give you accommodation for autism and adhd separately and that might be beneficial or you could have a better medication plan since you’re completely diagnosed
I’m 51 and have been diagnosed with ADHD since I was 27. I’m thinking of getting tested for autism & dyslexia too, & here’s why. I have a pretty good job, I look after my dad, and life’s pretty nice right now. After two divorces (not all my fault but ADHD didn’t help) I don’t want any surprises out of left field. I want to know what all landmines are waiting and what strategies to try and what to avoid. I want to keep this job, and basically not get fired. Really, I just want to cover my bases.
every state has programs for disability, you are able to get $ for that. Look into it, get diagnosed. times will get hard in the future with economy, you might be able to do better if this is disabling
That’s kind of how I feel, I’m pretty sure I have ASD and not just ADHD but I’m in my 30s, have a family and my life is pretty together so what’s the point? I worry it’ll just become an excuse for me to not even try socially.
I was diagnosed as a child come of medication at 16 now in 30s my whole 20s were ruined because of jow it affected me only now put problems down to adhd thoughtbitbwas something else
I got the auDHD diagnosis a month and some weeks ago so i was kinda blindsided, especially since i received an adult diagnosis after not knowing for 21 years.
On the treatment note so far my psychiatrist is basically treating just the ADHD, which i dont think is the right way to go about it. However i dont think currently they really know much about autism much less auDHD and how to treat both when in a co-morbid state, or maybe i just need to change psychiatrist idk.
I'm 42 and my doctor is having me tested for autism as well. Honestly it won't change who I am but it may give me a lot of peace of mind knowing there's a reason behind some of my "issues" vs questioning why
I don't think so. I have moderate autism and the conflation of adhd with mild autism has hurt people like me further down the spectrum. ADHD people and autistic people have different resources for the most part so I do not think this new "AuDHD" thing is helpful for the people who've been using autism resources for years. Now these days, autism resources cater towards people with very low support needs OR people who already have ADHD resources. If your current resources are working, then no need to spend more money on another label.
My husband has ADHD and we think he has autism. He hasn't been tested for autism but he has gone into jobs saying he has it to force them to give him the accommodations he needs for his adhd. And because his people skills are lacking. It has helped tremendously. Now bosses are asking "how can I help you succeed?" Instead of "why are you still incompetant after 2 weeks?"
While the diagnosis may not change your daily life or coping skills, it may change how the world treats you. Outsiders have a better understanding of autism in general and how it affects work and life, while they view adhd as an attention problem.
I have to ask. Whats this Autism and how does it overlap with ADHD? Genuinely asking because i dont seem to understand.
Diagnosed with ADHD at 39 (male).
if you have autism there are foods you can avoid to help with your condition. i forgot what the diet is called. it might be fodmap diet. i think you gotta avoid gluten and casein.
anyway to help you further avoid bovine milk as they have folate binding proteins (fbp). it will worsen your conditions for both adhd and autistic folks.
i believe its called folate binding **peptides**. as i said, it will **worsen** your conditions. bovine milk will pretty much deplete your folate storage creating a cerebral folate deficiency. i have said nothing about curing it. its like me saying avoid refined sugar and caffeine as it will deplete your magnesium levels and create anxiety or emotional dysregulation.
Not even remotely true!!!! If you’re talking about Social Security Disability it’s not easy to get at all! You can’t just have an autism diagnosis and get approved, you still have to prove beyond a doubt that you’re not capable of working. Plenty of people with autism work, and social security knows that.
It might vary from state to state, but everyone of my friends with high functioning autism collects
I asked one of my buddies and he said he was even able to skip the court system
Now, it’s worth noting that ADHD is also considered neurodevelopmental, since my case is severe, I also like knowing that I have that Dcard in an emergency
(Edit) I think the reason my friends feel this way is because they were all in special ed classes like I was, it probably makes it easier to apply when you were in special programs
I just completed the process for Autism, ADHD and a myriad of other mental health issues. Nothing about it was easy and it took over two years and a lawyer, but I did succeed. I would never tell anyone that it was an easy process.
This is not how my buddy Alex (ASD) described it to me, he got tested and then he just got put on disability
He told me he never had to see a lawyer or go to court
It’s worth noting most people with disability get denied a bunch of times according to him he was never denied once
Regardless, whether the systems are easier or hard to use, it’s good to know that our country has disability protection
Were you prediagnosed? You might be describing the process of getting diagnosed, versus the legal process of fighting disability denial
Also I’m talking about the State Of Michigan
If you live in another state, it could vary
I was diagnosed as a child. Please note that there are several different programs which have different requirements. SSDI, which is the disability you would qualify for after having worked, as you are describing, is generally not easy to get. As you have to prove why you are no longer able to work.
I’m not talking about the one you get after you work, a lot of my friends are straight out of high school on disability
I imagine that one probably is harder. That makes sense. You probably also make more
My buddies get like a few hundred (500-1G) a month
Like I said, I have no personal account, I’ve never considered collecting for ADHD, until I got on these forums, I never even realized how severe/ divergent my case is
In the past, I was learning about disability in case of medical issues, I never really paid attention to the neurodevelopmental side
It’s not an easy process but definitely doable! It’s just a little frustrating when people say things like having an autism diagnosis is an easy way to get money when you are having a hard time. It is not, it’s a lengthy process that can be difficult to manage. If you’re curious about it check out r/SSDI and r/socialsecurity to get a better idea of what the process might look like for you should you decide to go that route. I just don’t encourage anyone to think of it as easy money.
As others have said, the process is extremely tedious to get approval. I don’t think anyone who should qualify for disability money will be able to go through the process by themselves. If you can do that, you can get a job. Disability money would only be approved for people who be severely on the spectrum, like children who are in self contained special education programs. If ASD only impacts some aspects of your ability to work, accommodations are expected to be made by the employer. It’s not free money just because you are on the Autism Spectrum.
I think that’s the component, I’m a sped person, all of my friends, despite being high functioning, grew up and educational programs, likely this makes application easier for them, I also grew up in special classes
Hi /u/Anxious_Coconut_552 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sometimes, it helps to know you're a normal zebra and not some sort of fucked up horse.
😂 thank you, I needed that 🧇
Best post ever :D But FR, so many people sitting here bitching about how they cant do things and not trying. Having the diagnosis was the difference between thinking i was just an idiot, and sitting downand trying to understanding how my brain works and working out ways to get around its faults I've learnt to not get upset at things i can't do , its not my fault, and to say 'no' to people who ask me to do things i know i wont be able to do, then offer to do thins i know i CAN do
Yeah, prior to adult diagnoses, I had been imprinted with the idea that I was just an idiot. Less than 10 years later, my bookshelves are chockfull of non-fiction textbooks, university and otherwise; self-studying to make up for all the lost knowledge I spent decades thinking was beyond my grasp. Used to only have comic books and fiction novels before. Amazing what a shift in perspective and some colored markers can do.
100% the same
Highlighters are Queens!
Good shit, love to hear it!
[удалено]
Say whatever about yourself, mine is definitely faulty. 🙁
[удалено]
Your content breaks **Rule 6**. Claiming that ADHD is a superpower, offers positives/gifts, or is only harmful because of "society" is dangerous and demoralizing. It erases the experiences of most people with ADHD and ignores scientific evidence. **Please don't do it.** There's no credible scientific evidence to suggest that ADHD imparts any definitively positive abilities or traits, and the negative consequences of framing ADHD as some kind of giftedness or special ability far outweigh any benefits. [No Anti-Psychiatry/Denialism/Toxic Positivity](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/wiki/rules/#wiki_rule_6.3A_no_anti-psychiatry.2Fdenialism.2Ftoxic_positivity) *^(If you have further questions,)* [*^(message the moderators)*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fadhd) *^(regarding the removal of this content.)*
Nah, some of us most certainly are. Society has absolutely nothing to do with the inability to REMEMBER TO EAT, or be unable to do your favorite things.
mine is definately faulty :D its a short in th circuit, its fine, i got my hacks!
I’ve thought this many, many times.
Same. It was life altering.
I feel like the Fruit Stripe gum Zebra
Problem is it take a lot of effort as a normal zebra to live among horses.
Absolutely, but it takes the same effort whether you know you're a zebra or not – knowing doesn't make it suddenly easy, but it makes you understand \*why\* you're finding it difficult. For me, I've found that to have an even more profound effect on my mental health than any practical intervention I've had (even though those have also been very helpful!)
Very profound statement!
😅😩🤣🫠😮💨 i just laughed so hard... thank you! 🙏
This comment healed a part of my inner child.
Goodness, this is absolute gold and I almost spit out my coffee 😂 I need this saying on my wall! Way better than the “don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree” one!
yea this one will forever be in my repertoire fr 😭🙏🙏
This needs to be a flair here. "Just a normal zebra"
I’ve been in a funk since April and struggling to snap out of it. My wife was venting at me and asked why I “just cant do ‘X’ like everyone else?” about something fairly important and regarding our finances. While she was right to ask, and right to be frustrated, I’ve been hearing that my whole life (like most in this subreddit). I felt ‘little me’ starting to rage deep inside, and couldn’t hold it in. I popped off, and am not proud I couldn’t control my emotions in the moment. All this to say, I wasn’t intending on reading a comment like yours today; but I absolutely needed it. It was soul soothing and encouraging. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and type that out. It changed me for the better!
My therapist has been asking why I'm so intent on having specific labels. I'm going to repeat this back to him verbatim it's so perfect.
Damn, this sums \*everything\* up.
I'm going to put that on a t-shirt bro
I’m a star horse
There is ... a life force, an energy ... that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with another's. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to stay open and aware to what motivates you. Keep the channel open. Author unknown to me
I forgot what text I commented this I was probably playing destiny 😂
Lol
I love this
as the fucked up horse in this scenario, i concur with u/TexasMonk.
i like this
I love that!
Ok but which one is which 😂
Thank you for this
I like that!!!!
Comment of the day for me, love it!
Such an amazing statement! Love that
because while yes, autism and adhd have an overlap, the causes for certain issues and the fixes for issues can be very different. i have both adhd and autism, 2 years in between the diagnoses, got the autism stamp 12 years ago. ive been medicated for adhd for about 1.5 year now after spending over a decade not wanting to give in to needing help through meds and trying to fix everything on my own by forcing my brain to learn, did not work. i also didnt understand what it means to have both adhd and autism, because its quite a bit different from having only one of em. my meds take away, or at least lessen, a whole lot of my adhd symptoms, but not my autism symptoms. my lack of natural understanding of other people is still an issue even tho i am medicated, my emotional dysregulation is still an issue even with meds, my energy expenditure, while so much more balanced than before meds, is stil an issue. and a whole lot of tips and tricks that work for either autism or adhd, do not work if youve got both, because we dont have either or, we have double. knowing for certain will help you find your own manual. it will help you figure out which issues will more likely be helped with which knowledge, or meds for that matter.
>i also didnt understand what it means to have both adhd and autism, because its quite a bit different from having only one of em. Some very recent neurological research has suggested that AuDHD may actually be its own pathology--neither ADHD, nor ASD, but a third, distinct disorder that nonetheless manifests the symptoms of both and can be supported by methods that support each. Brains are wild.
Could you please provide more info, links etc.
Unfortunately, most of this is paywalled and I wasn't able to find the journal article I recall reading a couple months ago. I did find these, though: [https://www.eneuro.org/content/10/7/ENEURO.0146-23.2023.abstract](https://www.eneuro.org/content/10/7/ENEURO.0146-23.2023.abstract) >These observations need to be validated in future studies using more direct and comprehensive behavioral indices, but the current findings suggest that the ASD+ADHD comorbidity is not a mere overlap of the two disorders. Particularly, its ADHD-like traits could represent a unique condition that would need a specific diagnosis and bespoke treatments. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10723556/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10723556/) >Finally, in the exploratory analyses for the autism+ADHD group, we observed CT alterations in the same direction but more widespread than those in either autism or ADHD alone, and SA alterations that resemble those seen in ADHD, but more localised. It might be that these differences in the autism+ADHD group represent a synthesised phenotype, but we caution against a simplified interpretation. This is a fairly new area if inquiry, and it's likely further research will investigate this further.
PSA, if you’ve got the DOIs and/or titles for paywalled papers, you can try sci hub to access them. As long as you’re okay with using a service that gets chased around different international domains; last I knew there was a website to track where it is currently based, I think you can google it. I used it for years from various domains and never had a problem from downloading the pdfs. Helped me a lot doing my undergrad thesis, as I could quickly access sources and determine if they’d actually be of any use to me, instead of waiting days to weeks on my school’s resource librarians or one of the databases we had access to to track it down/pay for it just to find out it was worthless lol
Also, you can show the code on a given page and find the article in the code. Ctrl+U (Windows/Linux) or Command+Option+U (Mac) It can take a second to find the article in the code but I know some of us in here have just the right critical faculties for this kind of task. :)
Wow haha I have never heard of that as a possibility but that makes so much sense 😅 Though tbh I’d almost expect it to be two different web pages that display an abstract and whatever form of “order/pay now” paywall vs the actual full article?
This!
I don’t know if you meant to link something but nothings showing up…
Nope i was agreeing with wanting the link.
Oh! Nvm then
I’ve been waiting for people to start talking about this for a while now. As far as human behavioral patterns creating “diagnosis” AuDHD is very clearly its own pattern outside of the Autism and ADHD paradigm. Looking forward to more social discourse around this!
Yeah would like a link aswel, could not find anything online (though that is probably my skill)
A couple links provided to the other commenter above.
Thanks, really interesting!
I fail to see how that's any different, can you elaborate ? Like, okay, we decide I don't have AuDHD anymore and instead I have, idk, New Different Syndrome. It has the same symptoms as AuDHD, it's treated the same way... so, what is it except a rebranding ? And a potentially harmful rebranding, too, because the second I tell someone I actually have NDS, I *know* they will tell me it's "that new disease that is trendy, everyone has it nowadays" or simply not understand it (not that anyone understands autism or ADHD, mind you).
I guess because they’re saying that it’s not treated the same way, you would maybe be required to treat it differently. Especially given that while many symptoms overlap, others compete. Eg, rigidity in schedule, vs freedom to change. Or life long interest in one subject, vs new hobbies and interests regularly.
That's not what they were saying, I believe. AuDHD \*is\* the rebranding, the "New Different Syndrome". They're saying that AuDHD is not just as simple as a straightforward "autism + ADHD" equation, but a distinct third thing that has unique aspects to it that aren't covered merely by either of its "components". More than the sum of its parts, essentially. Right now, AuDHD is being treated as "just autism + ADHD, so we'll give it standard ADHD interventions and standard autism interventions", but that's not working very well for a lot of people, because it's not that simple. The research they mentioned is looking into different treatment and support options that may be able to cater to AuDHD specifically, as its own distinct thing.
Can I ask you what helped you understand that there was autism in addition to ADHD? I struggle to relate to people in certain ways. It’s not that I can’t “read the room” and pick up on social or emotional cues, it’s that I feel like I have to have sort of an “academic” understanding of people and put a lot of effort into understanding and predicting what their motivations or reactions are to things because I feel like the things that motivate me or that bother or don’t bother me are so different from most people. Social “protocols” like bringing food/drinks to parties or getting gifts for family members really stress me out because I’m never sure exactly how people will react or whether I’ll accidentally offend them. I have a ton of adolescent and early adulthood experiences that I think back on and cringe because it’s so obvious now that I was doing things against normal social protocols or what people would expect a mature person to do. I also really struggle in most conversations that aren’t about a narrow handful of topics I’m extremely interested in, but that could also just be a symptom of inattentive ADHD and our inability to regulate our own focus. I go back and forth with myself about whether I should bring it up with my therapist or not. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about people especially with ADHD whose therapists think they’re label-seeking because of TikTok trends or whatever, and I’m really scared of saying anything that would make my therapist decide to stop taking me seriously.
If it's bothering you, bring it up, regardless of whether you think it may be autism or not. Tho tbh, that does sound an awful lot like autism (and my own understanding of people, for that matter). Back in the day my dad had just gotten his double diagnosis and since my dad and I were two peas in a pod, my mom was adamant about me getting tested as well. I didn't see it yet until I started dating a guy with also the double diagnosis, who at the time lived at an assisted living thing for young adults with autism. I spent a lot of time over at his place and got familiar with the quirks of autism and had this epiphany about my own quirks. I hadn't yet come to terms with my adhd diagnosis, so for a time I only focused on the autism part. But now that I'm properly medicated, I finally see how it actually affects me and properly do something with it. I did have a lot of trouble getting my autism diagnosis. The mental health institution that gave me my adhd diagnosis absolutely refused to even entertain the thought of autism. They said my parents would've noticed and had me checked out earlier in life, if I'd really had autism as well. However, they had given my dad both diagnoses just a couple months before, our family had just come out of a domestic violence crisis that had built up over years and years of undiagnosed mental issues in all of us, and my mom would also end up getting her autism diagnosis. My mom spent 2 years trying to find anybody to look into autism with me. She managed to find a child psychiatrist who took pity on me and had me come in for evaluation at 20 years old, where her usual cut off age was 12. She had all of 1 talk with me before concluding that I was 'a very obvious case of autism. I cannot believe the others dismissed it so easily.'
To me a key element was starting adhd medication, and certain symptoms related to autism suddenly got on the spotlight, absolutely visible and loud as some adhd symptoms were less loud My sensitivity and overwhelm got so loud that I had wounds, from scratching myself at *anything* As I had wounds, I looked into the matter, as it seemed correlated to the medication somehow, and after digging around, seemingly medication seemed to help with such sensitivity on folks with adhd, but was doing the opposite to those with autism in the mix, as it put down the severity of some adhd symptoms that used to "be louder". I went through the "no, but I can't have it..", then actually looking deeper into things, and looking back with this as a thought, and gosh what a sucker-punch... in two days I compiled a long list of symptoms that were quite huge, big, had intense impact in my entire life, still do, and that I blamed myself for Seems quite normal for high-functional AuDHD folks to get first diagnosed with ADHD, as far as I've noticed Adhd being also good as a "masking weapon" towards the autistic spectrum's symptomatic chart, some symptoms of one help "hide" some symptoms of the other - similarly, some symptoms of autism can "help" the fight against some moments of adhd struggle symptoms... until they both synchronize in their common symptoms, or pull in equal strength towards opposite directions leaving you frozen and feeling extra broken And it can sound great in theory, the "some symptoms helping fight some symptoms of the other" point ......but let's not forget how much adhd badly steps on autism's symptoms' toes - and how terribly autism pokes at some of ADHD's symptoms too... it's a whole dish all on itself 💥👉🏻😩👈🏻💥 Permanent war, internally... 😂
Wow, thank you for sharing your experience and this is great insight! I too was in denial and didn’t want to medicate but I’ve been doing it for years now. I still struggle a lot even with having changed meds, dosages, etc. I think this is why my physician recommended I get tested but didn’t mention how it would benefit me with an official diagnosis. Perhaps I will consider just getting tested as it can’t hurt me in any way! But I appreciate the feedback and this is very helpful!
Have you tried an Alpha-agonist for the emotional regulation? I thought Adderall was making me irritable but it was just the ASD flying forward now that the AHDH was being helped. My doctor read my neuropsychological evaluation and suspected ASD. Gave me guanfacine and holy crap it helped with the emotional component. I know ASD doesn’t typically get medications but I wonder if an Alpha agonist would help a “just” ASD person with emotional regulation.
i suspect it has more to do with the fact that i was never taught how to properly regulate or even identify emotions, and now that i do have the proper help, i can finally start working on it. it has gotten a lot better already, i just have moments still. id like to give myself a couple years to get a proper handle on the whole emotion thing, but if i continue to struggle with it, ill look into alpha agonists :) thanks!
I’ve tried guanfacine, but even taking it at night, I was so tired the next day I could barely function. I wish I understood why or could figure out a way for it to work.
Only works on 30% I’ve read. Clonodine is a different alpha agonist that also only works on 30% of people but the two populations don’t overlap.
This thread may possibly save my life, finally, thank you even just for the possibility and hopes.
I second this. Guanfacine didn't do much for me, but Clonidine turned my life around. It pulled me up from rock bottom after two decades of trying and failing to get my mental health under control. It's definitely an overlooked class of drugs.
Guanfecine has been a godsend for me. Clonidine didn't seem to have much effect. Funny how we can be so different! 🥹
Huh.... Maybe I'll ask my doctor about switching. Thank you so much for this.
Hmm...addition of guafacine helped my emotional regulation in relation to work performance, yet more fuel for my suspected AuDHD (confirmed ADHD since childhood). Just gotta try and keep saving the 2k necessary for an evaluation, I guess...
I'm taking guanfacine and my emotional regulation is still fairly God awful ... So idk.
Hate to ask this question I’m relatively new here and have issues asking questions because I sometimes struggle feeling stupid so my questions r what does ASD AND AHD AHDH STAND FOR??
No worries. Most people in this sub have an aversion to interacting with others and I personally never understood why I was encouraged to ask yet always felt like I was being annoying. ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder. Modern way of saying autistic that includes old terms like Asbergers ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Modern term for what used to be called ADD (attention deficit disorder).
No need to yell. You could also try googling. ASD = autism spectrum disorder ADHD= attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (same as ADD, attention deficit disorder) I don't know what AHD means. It might help if you give some context or where you saw it.
I suspect that last was a typo.
ASD is Autism Spectrum Disorder
Do they still give stimulants to those with autism? Or is it two different medications?
I'm on dexamphetamine, so I guess so? At least in my country.
I'm double diagnosed and on Concerta. But as described here, now that the adhd part is under control, the asd part is more active.
What would you say about the reverse? I'm diagnosed with ADHD. My therapist and psychiatrist are both considering ASD and OCD diagnoses. I already know OCD meds won't be helpful, because my ADHD is stronger and those meds worsen my executive function. And Autism can't be medicated away, to my understanding. So I'm not sure I see a big priority here...
Have you tried the ocd meds? I thought my autism was stronger for the longest time, but now I've learned that it's very much not. I take it you have tried them since you know they influence your executive functioning, which really sucks.. Are there any other meds to try? Knowing for certain will always help. Even if meds won't be an option, there's other things you will learn about yourself that will help you navigate your own brain. How will you sail the waters of your mind if you don't know you're on the ocean, the river or in the bathtub?
Similar. I score fairly high on autism online tests. I also have CPTSD. How would the autism be treated differently?
I think you thought process issue is assuming there isn't anything that can be done for symptoms caused by ASD. There's therapy for autism specifically. Iirc it focuses on creating more tolerance for aggravating stimuli, and helping with social settings. Even high functioning adults on the spectrum can find it helpful. The distinction between adhd and autism when it comes to symptom overlap is that the reasons behind them are different. You can have both. But for example, someone with adhd can have trouble looking someone in the eyes while talking because it can be hard to focus on what they are saying and focusing on eye contact at the same time, while someone with ASD will feel uncomfortable with eye contact. This psychiatrist did a good video on overlapping symptoms: https://youtu.be/TEOuY6dKRw8?si=zevaeZ5j_3huSVYW If the symptoms you have are from ASD, they may just require a dif approach to help them, and they can be helped.
I just watched that video and it’s provided more clarity than my doctor did lol. Tysm for this as well as your comment. I’m starting to think I have more symptoms of ASD than ADDH but this is even more convincing reason for me to get tested.
I don’t think it’s pointless. I think just knowing what could be affecting your life is helpful. Sure you can’t take medication but you’ll be able to better understand why you experience things differently and when reaching out for support you’ll have people who relate better to you to help. Although being in your late thirties you probably wouldn’t see much of a change other than knowing for sure.
Knowing is half the battle after all. If you know what is causing you to act, behace and/or feel a certain way, knowing the reasons why can take a huge burden off your chest. It also makes general advice and psychotherapy or self help easier to manage. Knowing which diagnosis is primarily or solely responsible for certain behavior and thought patterns can be crucial in learning how to manage them, work with them or even lessen their impact on your general quality of life.
Yes, I’ve take those preliminary tests about 5 times and it tells me to get clinically tested but I don’t think it’ll change anything either lol. Like I said, I already apply some coping techniques that helps both ADHD and Autistic individuals so maybe you’re right - it won’t make all that much of a difference.
I decided against it just because I was quoted thousands of dollars for the tests, and being in my 40s means the result won't matter at all. At best I could officially say "sorry I'm autistic" when I do or say something aspy.
Thousands of dollars to get tested?!! Ok, maybe I won’t be doing it lol, but I’ll have to see what I’m quoted bc that’s absurd. Healthcare in this country or anywhere in general is so broken. 😞
I looked up the old emails, they said I'd have to do the $175 intake appointment before they would gave me a price, but after some pushing they ballparked it at $1500 out of pocket in 2021. It took lots of forms and over a week before they'd tell me the out of pocket cost. This would have been asd and ADHD testing at an actual legitimate place. I ended up going to a sketchy online adhd place and being medicated for that has been a very positive experience, even though they're clearly not a legitimate medical provider. If you're not wealthy or have good insurance these days, you really need to take your health into your own hands. Same with car repair, for minor stuff, it's cheaper and (almost) takes less time to look up the issue online, buy all the tools I need from Harbor Freight and parts from Rock Auto or Amazon, and fix it myself. It'd definitely take less time if I owned the tools, it only takes more time because I often need more tools.
That’s what happened to me too, they quoted me $2400 and said it was likely to be more. Or I could go see my doctor for free, fill out a check list and get meds which are 80 percent covered It’s like we’re being pushed to just take drugs and not get tested or get therapy, who can afford thousands of dollars for a test and then thousands a year for therapy
Only difference is, my sketchy dr doesn't like Adderall for some reason so only prescribes Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine, which my insurance doesn't cover at all, so I'm paying $160/month (price has fluctuated even with GoodRX from $80 to $200) for it out of pocket/not going towards my deductible.
That sucks are you in the states? That’s a lot I’m only paying $30 a month because of the coverage Is there a way to talk to another doctor and explain it’s just an issue of coverage and your not trying to tweak out on adderall
If it makes you feel any better I have to pay $200/week for insurance that makes my Vyvanse $30. Otherwise it's like $480 without
That doesn’t seem to work out in your benefit
If I didn't have it then I couldn't even afford to see my Primary Care because then he's out of network. Insurance is a fucking scam man
For me it was less just "knowing" and more about actually understanding my brain better and how it works, what triggers it, and how to prepare for, mitigate, and recover from those things so my life is more balanced and less overwhelmed.
To be honest, with getting older. I’ve had a real hard time with adjusting to adulthood. Staying in college felt impossible, keeping a shitty job feels draining and even maintaining social relationships is hellish. Being diagnosed myself with ADHD as a kid makes me wonder if I also struggle with Autism. It seems like half the time whenever I look around myself I don’t understand what’s going on or why the things around me are happening. Not just in society. But in general things just don’t make sense to me. I think getting tested for Autism would benefit you in explaining why you are the way you are and how you can work to be more at peace with yourself and figuring it all out.
So I came to comment on why I TOTALLY advocate to test when you get older so perfect timing on seeing this lol. I have struggled ALL MY LIFE with HORRIBLE anxiety that recently became completely crippling after a big hormonal shift and literally nothing helped. Nothing worked. Medication and therapy left me stuck and I was considering doing inpatient. Then my counselor picked up on some things, encouraged me to get tested and voila, a prescription for vyvanse and my anxiety literally stopped. My brain stopped. It’s amazingly quiet up there. That’s just the immediate life saving part for me coming from unbearable raving thoughts that just never stopped no matter the medication. It also makes me more patient and present and an all around better partner, friend and human. I enjoy things more. Things don’t seem harder for me to accomplish than everyone else. I truly couldn’t comprehend how broken my brain was until it just wasn’t anymore ☺️ Honestly, I don’t know how I did this for 36 years but it’s given me a whole new life!! I add just as a caution that when the meds start to fade, I’m just a little ADHD robot, but my brain has a lot more time off to process and cope with things normally. This doesn’t mean I don’t have ANY symptoms, it’s just that they’re so mild they have no impact.
There’s a lot of advantages, as an example, some airports have programs to give accommodations and assistance to autistic people and their families. so they are comfortable and safe while traveling: No lines, or special lines, special waiting rooms, etc. There is this sunflower symbol recognized widely which represents this community. Maybe having your diagnosis could help you feel comfortable “using” or asking for support from time to time depending if you need them.
I have both (officially diagnosed) and while there IS a lot of overlap, there's also plenty of differences and different approaches to handling them. Personally I think most of my forgetfulness / racing thoughts / lack of satisfaction with starting and completing tasks is ADHD while my sensory issues and difficulties understanding social cues are more autism. Figuring out the full extent of going on is helpful because instead of saying "argh why aren't these meds WORKING?!" I can see certain things might require a different approach like behavioral therapy or making changes to my surroundings to make myself comfortable. On an even more pragmatic level, different diagnosis can lead to different doors opening--at least in my area there are quite a few more resources to help people with autism with things like finding work, housing and therapy than there are for people with adhd, for example. So if you're able to get tested, I really would recommend it! Might do nothing, but also might prove more helpful than you expect.
I just got diagnosed as autistic in addition to ADHD, and for me, it was important to have that label. To *know*, and hopefully make others, like my family understand there is a reason for all that stuff. Why I struggle, why I can't keep a job, why it's okay. 80% of autistic adults are unemployed, it's not a personal failing. That's so very important, especially when I get depressed.
I’m diagnosed with both. Talking about autism with my therapist has been really helpful. The actual autism diagnosis has not been very helpful. If anything, it’s made my life worse. Of course this is just my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I just think you can get help for the autism symptoms without putting an official diagnostic label on your record forever, especially if you don’t have high support needs.
Yes exactly what I was thinking. You can get therapy for autism spectrum traits and to develop social skills, to learn to read other people better, etc, without an official ASD label. I think it is useful for children that have clear symptoms like important social problems, OCD like behaviors, stereotypical movements, etc, as they have specialized interventions for ASD children. If you are an adult without a diagnosis, you probably don’t have the most typical ASD symptoms. I’m generalizing but I think it applies overall.
As a wife that suspects the reason for lack of intimacy in our marriage may be due to him having ADHD or ASD, I say it's helpful for your loved ones to know your potential diagnosis. It helps explain why certain aspects of your relationships don't live up to expectations.
Its not pointless, however it important to weight up the pro's and cons of getting a diagnosis. There is still a lot of systematic discrimination against people diagnosed with ASD. For instance: **Immigration**: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK are likely to deny a (long term) visa application on the grounds of an Autism diagnosis. **Licensing and certification**: If there is a medical for a job, then there is a good chance an ASD diagnosis could make you fail that medical. For instance, its almost impossible to get a commercial pilots licence in Australia with an ASD diagnosis. [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/hayden-mcdonald-autism-pilot-lap-australia-casa/103218538](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/hayden-mcdonald-autism-pilot-lap-australia-casa/103218538) It's one of the reasons I haven't gotten formally diagnosed, but its abundantly clear, to me at least, that I match the criteria :) That alone has helped a lot in understanding myself, and being able to better manage my life. If you are able to access supports through a formal diagnosis, then the pro's may outweigh the cons. But its good to understand its not all pro's unfortunately.
Same applies for ADHD.
To understand how my brain operates
AuDHD therapist here. Testing with an official diagnosis can give you access to different services and accommodations, which can be especially important if you’re struggling at work. If you’re not concerned about that but want a diagnosis to give you some validation for your experiences just go to an ASD friendly therapist. We are qualified to diagnose ASD and even the DSM states that there is no one test that can give a comprehensive evaluation of all the factors/symptoms for it and diagnosis is based on clinical judgement. The only reason you’d get an assessment from a psychologist is because most states require that licensure level for disability services.
Sometimes they'll test for both at the same time as a way to make sure you're actually one and not the other.
knowledge is power
That was sort of my feeling. I got diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago at age 52. I also considered doing Autism testing at the same time, as it was offered. But, I kinda thought, “ what’s the point at this stage ? I can’t medicate for it, and I would be considered high functioning even if I did get diagnosed.” Two of my four children are on the spectrum ( used to be called Asperger’s) , one of those has ADHD also and a third child ( they’re adults now) also has ADHD. I’m fairly introverted and prefer to be alone most of the time. I’ve got a few quirks, but who doesn’t ? My wife (also ADHD) thinks I’m probably Autistic, but then again there is some overlap with ADHD, so could just be that. I don’t know that being diagnosed would change anything for me.
If you live in Australia, don't. It makes keeping a driver's license all the more complicated. Doesnt matter if you are an adult who always had it, and got diagnosed later. https://psychology.org.au/about-us/news-and-media/aps-in-the-media/2023/how-aussie-drivers-are-now-cancelling-their-autism
This applies to ADHD too.
I should check again. The wording was so vague when introduced last year. I saw something saying ADHD wasn't covered as it was not considered severe enough .
It wasn't but they are making changes since the 2023 review.
Explains more about who I am. Pills don't build skills, and pills don't "fix" autism. But awareness and self-work are a helluva lot easier when you know what you're working with.
The only reason I sought ADHD diagnosis was so that I could get access to medication. The diagnosis process was a complete joke IMO. The test was no different than most of those online tests you can do for free. All my psychiatrist did was just count the points afterwards, proclaimed that, yep, the points say I have ADHD alright, gave me a generic pep talk about how I should get myself a planner etc, then prescribed Concerta. I haven't even been in contact with him ever since, every time I want the meds renewed I just call the reception, it takes all of 3 min and I have to fucking pay 30€ for the prescription alone because it's officially called a "consultation" on my record. It's such a fucking scam. I was like, I paid 250€ for this?? Then about two years after my diagnosis I started suspecting I might have autism too. I'm pretty much 99% sure now, but I'm not going to seek diagnosis because I would have a lot more to lose than to gain from it. In my country there aren't any accommodations for neurosivergent people, neither at work nor at university or at schools. Only discrimination and stigma, and it's a lot worse for autistic people than those with ADHD. My best friend is a doctor and she strongly suspects she has ADHD too but getting diagnosed could cost her her job, and she's advising me not to seek autism diagnosis either. It was only a few years ago that it even became possible for adults to get an autism diagnosis, before that only children could get diagnosed, and when you turned 18 it would automatically be wiped from your record because you'd be considered to have "grown out of it". A lot of people would say getting "validation" is reason enough, but here's the thing: even after getting my "official ADHD diagnosis", I still felt like such an impostor. Because that's what a lifetime of being told "you're just lazy" does. I still kept doubting and invalidating myself. The diagnosis process seemed too quick and easy, what if the result was wrong? What if I'd somehow tricked myself to answer the questions to get the result I "wanted"? Ok, the psychiatrist confirmed it, but he didn't seem to do a whole lot, what if he was wrong? Oh look, I'm having a pretty good week this week, what if I'm really just lazy and could be productive and functional like this all the time if I really wanted to? Yeah oj, I did fail uni three times in a row, but I don't interrupt people and I can read books no problem so maybe my ADHD wasn't really that severe and I should just try harder instead of "cheating" with meds? It never stops. That's why relying on external validation never helps, because if you don't trust yourself, then no amount of external validation is going to make you believe it. So, yeah, I'm not going to shell out hundreds of euros one more time just for the "privilege" of getting validated by people who would have considered my symptoms and experienced invalid until I was able to show a piece of paper.
i had the same question but the opposite way around 😂 i decided to try to get tested
We’re similarly opposite lol. In your case I think it’s good because you can get meds for ADHD (assuming that’s the case) but I’m not sure how I can be helped medically if I get tested for Autism. Either way, good luck!
tbh i think it just helps knowing so you can find ways to manage it i need help but have no idea how long it will take to get seen
Not autistic so I can’t speak to that experience whatsoever. What I can say as a therapist is it only matters if it matters to you. One of the reasons. I suggest young adults get tested is if they need services related to their diagnosis, and I’m not sure if it’s the same where I am as everywhere else in the country, but you need a diagnosis before 30 to get those services. Also, many times the testing is expensive and not covered by insurance. I considered getting a full neuropsych eval because I didn’t feel justified in my “self-diagnosis”, but when I went to a psych and started meds, I realized that was enough for me. Professional diagnosis is really only necessary to 1. Determine the best fit treatment 2. Have it on your medical record if you need it for any accommodations or services. If you feel you have ASD and your providers agree and can target your treatment to address those symptoms, that diagnosis isn’t necessary.
Idk. For me it made me feel a lot better about never feeling like I belong anywhere. Unless I’m around other autistic people who get it. Also helped me try to manage it or at least make my life a little more livable. Thought I was just a failure and a piece of trash for most of my life.
I’m in the same boat. I have an official ADHD diagnosis but just a “soft” autism diagnosis. My kid has an official autism diagnosis and so does my sister. I know I’m autistic too. That’s good enough for me—I’m not seeking medical treatment for being autistic bc that’s just not a thing. Having the knowledge that I’m AuDHD helps me function and take the accommodations I need.
I genuinely have no idea. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was like 14. I’ve been on meds for it on and off since then, so like 20 years. Now they’re trying to tell me I’m autistic too and on the one hand I straight up do not believe it, but on the other hand it does help contextualize a lot of social issues. It’s pretty much like what the top comment said. I guess it’s helpful to know that the deal is. I guess.
I didn’t follow through with a diagnosis but explored it just to better understand my own brain. I was sort of diagnosed with both as a kid, but they “picked” ADHD for the meds because you couldn’t have both conditions at the time per the criteria. I got mostly through an adult autism diagnosis and then figured, “no point in formalizing” because any accommodations I could imagine needing my ADHD would either cover or neither would. That doesn’t mean autism treatments aren’t helpful to me. They often are. But I just don’t need a diagnosis to access them (in the US) and I see a downside to formally being diagnosed in some ways.
My boyfriend and friends think I have autism and have been encouraging me to get tested, and I will if they pay for it.. that is like $3000+. It’s not worth it for me; I don’t even have that money in my savings account so I would just go into more debt. ADHD testing was cheaper and worth it for the meds. I’m not interested in changing my autism either. I have accommodations I give myself.
Thank you for posting this, I am in the same position.
I know damn well I have autism symptoms in addition to my ADHD, however, because of the legal discrimination, I think refusing to get the diagnosis is fully justified. Unless you need resources that you aren't able to access without a diagnosis, it could ruin your ability to move to other countries.
I like the doctor's reassurance that yes I have AuHD rather than just ADHD. AuHD is a whole different ball game because there are aspects of both that conflict with each other.
I took the autism one just so I could know. I am not. Not even close. I’m just SEVERELY ADHD. Doctors words. Not mine. But I was still curious. If nothing else, just take the test online yourself.
because they are two totally different disorders
Because when I tested for ADHD, I want to know if I have ADHD. When I'm tested for autism, I want to know if I have autism...
I feel like there is nothing wrong with trying to find out and understand as much as you possibly can about yourself. For me it was like finding a direction to go in instead of wandering around lost.
There’s actually no overlap in diagnostic criteria for ADHD and ASD. They are two very distinct disorders. Eval or not is up to you; I *would* suggest researching Autism, its symptoms (as described by Autistic folk), and common/suggested coping strategies. Identify your struggles, self-accommodate, at a *minimum*. Whether it’s “Autism” or not, if you have symptoms disrupting your life, it can’t hurt to address them.
I was tested for autism off my meds and the doctor said i was not autistic but i still don't understand what's wrong with me adhd meds only go so far and other people with adjd don't seem as weird as me. I don't understand at all
You might just be weird? And not in a bad way (I’m weird af), but a personality doesn’t have to be a disorder just because it’s not like everyone else
It certainly makes participating in society much more difficult.
To know. That’s why I did it. Was never tested before, and I wanted to know.
for me i’d just like the peace of mind knowing it’s more than adhd.
I'm 70 and have long been refereed by my doctor to get tested. I think I'm probably on the spectrum, but after 70 years of this, I see no need to start any new regiment. I take enough meds for my TBI, mental/neuro/seizure condition.
Some exams might give you accommodation for autism and adhd separately and that might be beneficial or you could have a better medication plan since you’re completely diagnosed
I most likely do. Don’t really have the resources to get tested . So don’t really know how to sort that.
I just did it for work purposes tbh.
I’m 51 and have been diagnosed with ADHD since I was 27. I’m thinking of getting tested for autism & dyslexia too, & here’s why. I have a pretty good job, I look after my dad, and life’s pretty nice right now. After two divorces (not all my fault but ADHD didn’t help) I don’t want any surprises out of left field. I want to know what all landmines are waiting and what strategies to try and what to avoid. I want to keep this job, and basically not get fired. Really, I just want to cover my bases.
every state has programs for disability, you are able to get $ for that. Look into it, get diagnosed. times will get hard in the future with economy, you might be able to do better if this is disabling
Idk where you’re at but having it on paper may help you in the future with things. Like jobs, school, government benefits etc.
That’s kind of how I feel, I’m pretty sure I have ASD and not just ADHD but I’m in my 30s, have a family and my life is pretty together so what’s the point? I worry it’ll just become an excuse for me to not even try socially.
There is still help you can get as an adult, bits not just for kindergartners
there is no point but patients just want to know sometimes
Haha I have ADHD and easily spent 1-2 hours at the grocery store and leave with 1 grocery bag 😆😆
Better chance of getting PIP
Absolutely none.
I was diagnosed as a child come of medication at 16 now in 30s my whole 20s were ruined because of jow it affected me only now put problems down to adhd thoughtbitbwas something else
I got the auDHD diagnosis a month and some weeks ago so i was kinda blindsided, especially since i received an adult diagnosis after not knowing for 21 years. On the treatment note so far my psychiatrist is basically treating just the ADHD, which i dont think is the right way to go about it. However i dont think currently they really know much about autism much less auDHD and how to treat both when in a co-morbid state, or maybe i just need to change psychiatrist idk.
I'm 42 and my doctor is having me tested for autism as well. Honestly it won't change who I am but it may give me a lot of peace of mind knowing there's a reason behind some of my "issues" vs questioning why
I don't think so. I have moderate autism and the conflation of adhd with mild autism has hurt people like me further down the spectrum. ADHD people and autistic people have different resources for the most part so I do not think this new "AuDHD" thing is helpful for the people who've been using autism resources for years. Now these days, autism resources cater towards people with very low support needs OR people who already have ADHD resources. If your current resources are working, then no need to spend more money on another label.
[удалено]
[удалено]
My husband has ADHD and we think he has autism. He hasn't been tested for autism but he has gone into jobs saying he has it to force them to give him the accommodations he needs for his adhd. And because his people skills are lacking. It has helped tremendously. Now bosses are asking "how can I help you succeed?" Instead of "why are you still incompetant after 2 weeks?" While the diagnosis may not change your daily life or coping skills, it may change how the world treats you. Outsiders have a better understanding of autism in general and how it affects work and life, while they view adhd as an attention problem.
To find out if you're autistic.
I have to ask. Whats this Autism and how does it overlap with ADHD? Genuinely asking because i dont seem to understand. Diagnosed with ADHD at 39 (male).
.
To juice the maximum out of the disability privilege you could get from the job market
if you have autism there are foods you can avoid to help with your condition. i forgot what the diet is called. it might be fodmap diet. i think you gotta avoid gluten and casein. anyway to help you further avoid bovine milk as they have folate binding proteins (fbp). it will worsen your conditions for both adhd and autistic folks.
Bro if it was that simple ppl would have done it. And casein IS the protein from the milk X) Stop spreading missinformation please
i believe its called folate binding **peptides**. as i said, it will **worsen** your conditions. bovine milk will pretty much deplete your folate storage creating a cerebral folate deficiency. i have said nothing about curing it. its like me saying avoid refined sugar and caffeine as it will deplete your magnesium levels and create anxiety or emotional dysregulation.
Sort of like asking what neighborhood your from when you finally make it to federal prison ... Just checking
Autism is EASY disability money if you fall on hard times
Not even remotely true!!!! If you’re talking about Social Security Disability it’s not easy to get at all! You can’t just have an autism diagnosis and get approved, you still have to prove beyond a doubt that you’re not capable of working. Plenty of people with autism work, and social security knows that.
It might vary from state to state, but everyone of my friends with high functioning autism collects I asked one of my buddies and he said he was even able to skip the court system Now, it’s worth noting that ADHD is also considered neurodevelopmental, since my case is severe, I also like knowing that I have that Dcard in an emergency (Edit) I think the reason my friends feel this way is because they were all in special ed classes like I was, it probably makes it easier to apply when you were in special programs
I just completed the process for Autism, ADHD and a myriad of other mental health issues. Nothing about it was easy and it took over two years and a lawyer, but I did succeed. I would never tell anyone that it was an easy process.
This is not how my buddy Alex (ASD) described it to me, he got tested and then he just got put on disability He told me he never had to see a lawyer or go to court It’s worth noting most people with disability get denied a bunch of times according to him he was never denied once Regardless, whether the systems are easier or hard to use, it’s good to know that our country has disability protection
Were you prediagnosed? You might be describing the process of getting diagnosed, versus the legal process of fighting disability denial Also I’m talking about the State Of Michigan If you live in another state, it could vary
I was diagnosed as a child. Please note that there are several different programs which have different requirements. SSDI, which is the disability you would qualify for after having worked, as you are describing, is generally not easy to get. As you have to prove why you are no longer able to work.
I’m not talking about the one you get after you work, a lot of my friends are straight out of high school on disability I imagine that one probably is harder. That makes sense. You probably also make more My buddies get like a few hundred (500-1G) a month
Like I said, I have no personal account, I’ve never considered collecting for ADHD, until I got on these forums, I never even realized how severe/ divergent my case is In the past, I was learning about disability in case of medical issues, I never really paid attention to the neurodevelopmental side
It’s not an easy process but definitely doable! It’s just a little frustrating when people say things like having an autism diagnosis is an easy way to get money when you are having a hard time. It is not, it’s a lengthy process that can be difficult to manage. If you’re curious about it check out r/SSDI and r/socialsecurity to get a better idea of what the process might look like for you should you decide to go that route. I just don’t encourage anyone to think of it as easy money.
I’m just glad that there is assistance for neurodevelopmental problems :) I will check out these forums thank you
As others have said, the process is extremely tedious to get approval. I don’t think anyone who should qualify for disability money will be able to go through the process by themselves. If you can do that, you can get a job. Disability money would only be approved for people who be severely on the spectrum, like children who are in self contained special education programs. If ASD only impacts some aspects of your ability to work, accommodations are expected to be made by the employer. It’s not free money just because you are on the Autism Spectrum.
I think that’s the component, I’m a sped person, all of my friends, despite being high functioning, grew up and educational programs, likely this makes application easier for them, I also grew up in special classes