#truthfully wonder if what was diagnosed as adhd when i was a kid was actually a combo of autism + mania

[lunar-fey]

i wish my brain would . stop. or at least slow down a bit

[brightlotusmoon]

Guys guys guys

I want to share a thread from one of my ADHD Support groups on Facebook. Date of post February 27 2020.

Here's the initial question:

"ADHD has very similar traits to autism ((from what I have gathered at least)) and in support/representation are always grouped together.

Do you think ADHD should be clasified as on the autism spectrum? Why or why not?

What positive or negative effects ((May it be treatment, understanding, research, or a social aspect)) do you think it would have if it was?"

And here's some of the comments:

1. "In lots of conversations I have had, this topic has come up, and the conclusion we usually reach is that eventually, both ADHD & ASD will be reclassified into something like “Executive Function disorders” and the spectrum will just be broader, rounder, and more inclusive of all the beautiful facets of our Neurodivergent brains" 🧠 #NeurodiverseSquad

2. "I am diagnosed with both. In fact I received my ASD Level 1 (aka "condition formerly known as Asperger's") diagnosis just 4 weeks ago.

Here's the thing: they are in no way mutually exclusive. In fact this was the mistake I made when I had my initial assessment that diagnosed the ADHD - (wrongly) assumed that if I had one, I couldn't have the other. This is in fact not true, and recent research shows that between 1/3 and 2/3 of people with an ASD may meet criteria for ADHD as well. However, the reverse is not true - this is because (as current research shows) 6-7% of the population have ADHD, and only about 1.5% are on the autism spectrum. So somewhere between 0.5 and 1% of the total population (likely) have both. Most people with ADHD do not also meet criteria for ASD.

Basically, the way these two things are diagnosed are based on totally different criteria. ADHD is about, well, attention and more broadly executive (dis)function. It's a readily measurable, testable condition that boils down to certain specific pathways in the brain working much slower (and/or much faster) than the average population.

ASD is, well, different. The current diagnostic criteria all revolve around the following things.

1) Significant impairments in social communication

2) Patterns of pervasive repetitive behaviour (and thoughts)

3) Unusual sensory interests, and/or sensory hypo-/hyper-sensitivity well outside typical ranges

To be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, it's not enough to just "experience those things sometimes". There has to be a pervasive, life-interfering pattern of at least 2 of those three things, which cannot be explained by any other underlying cause or condition, AND can be demonstrated going back to that person's earliest childhood history, and preferably family history too.

Can those things describe a person with ADHD? Totally! Are they how we define ADHD? Nope!

The neurology of ADHD is pretty well understood today - scientists very good idea what ADHD "looks" like in the brain and how it functions. We don't know everything but we know a lot compared to, well, basically anything to do with the brain. It's one of the best studied neurological conditions, period.

The neurology of autism is, well...... much murkier. There are multiple theories. The current ASD diagnosis was a bit controversial when it was totally revamped in 2013, lumping things like Aspergers and PDD-NOS under a single standard. Not everybody was a fan of that, although at the time research in the field was pointing more in that direction - but right now the pendulum of scientific consensus seems to be swinging the other way, thanks to more extensive brain studies finally being done. It's still early days, but there is now the possibility that what we call autism/ASD today may turn out to be a group of several distinct neurological conditions, one of which may in fact be a close relative of ADHD, mechanically speaking. But a LOT more research needs to be done before we can say anything for sure. Early days.

In any case, the best takeaway from this looooooooong writeup is:

You can be both. You can be neither. If you are on the autism spectrum, there is a very good chance you might also fit the diagnosis for ADHD - but if you have ADHD... while you are statistically more likely to be autistic than the average person, it's still a much longer shot. Don't rush to conclusions, and talk to specialists. Neither of these conditions should be either a "badge of honour" or a "badge of shame" - cause it's not a badge, it's a complex part of how your brain works in real life. Between 1-2 out of every 3 people with autism MAY have ADHD - whereas only 1 out of somewhere between every 6 and every 14 people with ADHD is autistic.

It's not possible to rule out a neurological link between the two, but it's not going to be a link that defines either one of those conditions. It's more like the link between ADHD and depression - us ADHDers are far more susceptible to depression than the average person; but faaar from every depressed person has ADHD.

Truthfully - with autism spectrum, before anyone goes running off for diagnosis... speaking from personal experience, you gotta ask yourself what you are hoping to get out of it first. I'm glad I did, but in some ways it's a harder pill to swallow than ADHD - especially because there are no actual pills to swallow for treating it, nor therapies designed to help newly-diagnosed autistic adults. Young kids diagnosed with autism get a big boost from intense learning therapy, which helps them catch up on things like social skills and avoid a lot of the associated trauma - but there's not much out there for the adults, since you can't really get a do-over on your childhood and the damage (as in, trauma) is already done long ago. It's just a thing you find out about yourself, and while it can be empowering - it can also be a bit overwhelming and leave you with more questions than answers about yourself. That's about where I'm at with it, anyway!"

-

Now, having both, I'm inclined to agree with these. I myself have wondered here if ADHD could be ever put on the greater Mobius strip spectrum of Autism. But a comment someone here made, about the two being on the same Axis but not spectrum had me rethinking. A bunch of us activists with both are still waist deep in research, and I'm tossing these ideas out to chew on.

Basically, Tumblr is full of folks who look at an Autistic or ADHD post and say "wait, I relate to this but I only have one or the other!" And 80 percent shared comorbidities means a huge relation. They're cousins. I call ADHD Autism's excitable twin. It's exempt from allistic fuckery for me. I like to nickname it Cognitive Attentive Tempo Syndrome. (CATS!) My ADHD therapist likens it to being a polar bear in Florida, with meds being water wings. So there's enough overlap that the primary traits for one could be secondary traits for the other.

In conclusion: Yes, this relates to you. Enjoy your executive function dysfunction Neurodivergent Umbrella Axis Family Reunion.