Links Between ADHD & Autism

I’m being assessed for ADHD soon and it’s made me try to work out which traits I think are Autism and which are ADHD.

Not an easy task. It’s made me wonder are they really two different things? I know that they could not be given as a dual diagnosis until 2013, so opinions are definitely changing. The current rates of comorbidity are thought to be: individuals with ASD also with ADHD between 30-80% (quite a variance) while individuals with ADHD who also have signs of ASD 20-50%.

But is this just dependant on which diagnosis came first? I guess for me, personally an ASD diagnosis made more sense, but doesn’t explain it all. Hence the ASD assessment came first.

There seem to be a lot of shared symptoms, with quite the overlap. For example some ADHDers have sensory sensitivities, a trait more common in ASD, but the common denominator here is atypical sensory processing.

Executive dysfunction which is evident in both cases, appears as disorganisation or forgetfulness in ADHD while it can be difficulty with planning and flexibility in ASD.

There are genetic links too. Twin and family studies show shared heritability. Neuro-imaging of the brain shows similar differences in white matter connectivity and the dopaminergic/ noradrenergic systems in both conditions.

Both ADHD and ASD individuals may have problems with working memory, planning or inhibitions.

Emotional dysregulation (e.g. outbursts or mood swings ) can be present in both cases as can Theory of Mind difficulties. It can be said that ADHD externalises while ASD internalises symptoms.

I think these similarities and overlaps must make it very difficult to diagnose one in the presence of the other.

I’m very interested to see how my next assessment goes!