Are Autism and ADHD Related?
Table of Contents
Intro
What Is Autism?
What About ADHD?
So... Are They Related?
What It's Like to Have Both Autism and ADHD
Diagnosing One Without the Other Can Be a Problem
What Triggers Challenges in People With Both
Want to Help People With Autism? Start With Understanding
How Can Parents and Adults Support Loved Ones With Autism and ADHD?
Conclusion
Are Autism and ADHD Related? What You Should Know
Many people wonder whether autism and ADHD are connected. The short answer is yes, they're often related and can occur together in the same person. Understanding this connection is important for families, educators, and anyone who wants to better support neurodivergent people in their lives.
If you're a parent who's heard conflicting information about whether your child can have both conditions, or if you're an adult who's been diagnosed with one and wondering about the other, this article will help clear things up. We'll explore what autism and ADHD are, how they're similar and different, and what it's like to live with both conditions.
What Is Autism?
Autism, officially called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a developmental disability that affects how a person communicates, interacts socially, and experiences the world around them. The word "spectrum" is used because autism affects people in many different ways and to different degrees.
Core Features of Autism
Autism typically involves differences in several key areas:
Social communication and interaction: This might include difficulty with back-and-forth conversation, challenges understanding nonverbal communication like facial expressions or body language, or differences in developing and maintaining relationships appropriate to developmental level.
Restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities: This could involve repetitive motor movements (like hand-flapping or rocking), intense interest in specific topics, strict adherence to routines, or unusual reactions to sensory input.
Common Signs of Autism
While autism looks different in every person, there are some common patterns that many autistic people share:
Preferring routines and predictability: Many autistic people feel more comfortable when they know what to expect. Changes in routine can be stressful or overwhelming.
Struggling with social cues: Understanding unwritten social rules, reading facial expressions, or knowing when it's their turn to talk in a conversation can be challenging.
Deep interests in specific topics: Many autistic people develop intense, focused interests in particular subjects and can become quite knowledgeable about them.
Sensory sensitivities: This might include being bothered by certain sounds, textures, lights, or smells that don't seem to affect others. Some autistic people are oversensitive to sensory input, while others seek out intense sensory experiences.
Direct communication style: Many autistic people communicate in straightforward, honest ways and might miss or not use social pleasantries or indirect communication.
Stimming: This refers to repetitive movements or sounds that help with self-regulation, like hand-flapping, rocking, or repeating words or phrases.
Autism Looks Different in Every Person
It's crucial to understand that there's no single way to "be autistic." Some autistic people are nonspeaking, while others are highly verbal. Some need significant daily support, while others live independently and have careers and families. Some are diagnosed in early childhood, while others aren't identified until adulthood.
This diversity is why it's called a spectrum. It's not a linear spectrum from "less autistic" to "more autistic," but rather a recognition that autism affects different people in different ways and combinations.
What About ADHD?
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Like autism, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain works. Despite its name, ADHD isn't really about having a deficit of attention. Instead, it's about having a different type of attention that can be both a challenge and a strength.
Types of ADHD
ADHD is generally divided into three types:
Inattentive type (formerly called ADD): People with this type primarily struggle with attention and focus. They might have trouble staying on task, following instructions, or organizing activities. They might seem to daydream or lose things frequently.
Hyperactive-Impulsive type: This type involves primarily hyperactivity and impulsivity. People might fidget, have trouble staying seated, talk excessively, or act without thinking about consequences.
Combined type: This is the most common type and involves symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.
Common Signs of ADHD
ADHD affects people differently depending on their age and type, but common signs include:
Attention challenges: Difficulty sustaining attention on tasks, being easily distracted by external stimuli or internal thoughts, trouble following through on instructions, losing things necessary for tasks.
Hyperactivity: Fidgeting, difficulty staying seated when expected, feeling restless, talking excessively, always seeming to be "on the go."
Impulsivity: Difficulty waiting their turn, interrupting others, making decisions without considering consequences, acting on immediate desires without thinking.
Executive functioning difficulties: Problems with planning, organizing, time management, and working memory.
ADHD Across the Lifespan
Like autism, ADHD can look different at different ages:
Children: Might have obvious hyperactivity, trouble sitting still in class, difficulty following directions, or problems with impulsive behavior.
Adolescents: Hyperactivity often becomes more internal (feeling restless), academic demands increase executive functioning challenges, and social relationships might be affected.
Adults: Might struggle with work performance, organization, time management, relationships, or emotional regulation. Physical hyperactivity often decreases, but mental restlessness continues.
So... Are They Related?
Short Answer: Yes, they often go together
Research shows that autism and ADHD frequently occur together. Studies suggest that anywhere from 30% to 80% of autistic people also have ADHD, and about 20% to 50% of people with ADHD are also autistic. The wide range in these statistics reflects differences in study methods and diagnostic criteria, but all studies agree that the overlap is significant.
Why They Often Occur Together
Both autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions, meaning they affect brain development and function. They share several important characteristics:
Executive functioning challenges: Both conditions often involve difficulties with planning, organization, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.
Sensory processing differences: Many people with autism or ADHD experience sensory sensitivities or seek sensory input in ways that affect their daily functioning.
Emotional regulation difficulties: Both conditions can involve challenges with managing emotions, especially frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm.
Social challenges: While the reasons might be different, both autism and ADHD can affect social relationships and interactions.
Attention differences: Both conditions involve differences in attention, though they manifest in different ways.
Shared Brain Differences
Research suggests that autism and ADHD involve some similar differences in brain structure and function:
Neurotransmitter systems: Both conditions involve differences in brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that affect attention, motivation, and mood.
Brain networks: Studies show overlapping differences in brain networks involved in attention, executive functioning, and sensory processing.
Genetic factors: There appears to be some shared genetic vulnerability between autism and ADHD.
But They're Still Different Conditions
While autism and ADHD often occur together and share some features, they're still distinct conditions with different core characteristics:
Social communication: Social challenges in autism typically stem from difficulty understanding social cues and communication, while ADHD social challenges usually come from impulsivity or inattention.
Attention patterns: In autism, attention is often very focused on areas of interest but might be difficult to shift. In ADHD, attention is often variable and can be hard to sustain or direct.
Sensory experiences: Both conditions involve sensory differences, but the specific patterns often differ.
Need for routine: The need for predictability and routine is typically stronger in autism than in ADHD.
Understanding these differences is important because effective interventions often need to address the specific features of each condition.
What It's Like to Have Both Autism and ADHD
Having both autism and ADHD can create a complex experience that's sometimes contradictory and often exhausting. People with both conditions often describe feeling pulled in different directions by competing needs and traits.
The Internal Contradiction
Many people with both conditions experience internal conflicts between their autism and ADHD traits:
Wanting structure but struggling to maintain it: The autism part of their brain craves routine and predictability, while the ADHD part struggles with organization and consistency.
Hyperfocus vs. distractibility: They might become intensely focused on interests (autism) but struggle to focus on necessary but boring tasks (ADHD).
Sensory seeking vs. sensory avoiding: They might seek certain sensory inputs while being overwhelmed by others, creating a complex sensory profile.
Social exhaustion: The autism traits make social situations confusing and draining, while ADHD impulsivity might lead to saying or doing things that create social problems.
Daily Life Challenges
Living with both conditions often creates unique daily challenges:
Time management: Struggling with executive functioning from ADHD while needing the predictability that comes with good time management from autism.
Emotional regulation: Both conditions can affect emotional regulation, and the combination can make emotions feel overwhelming and difficult to manage.
Masking fatigue: Many people with both conditions learn to mask their traits to fit in socially, which is exhausting and can lead to burnout.
Task switching: Autism makes it hard to switch between activities, while ADHD makes it hard to stick with activities, creating a difficult balance.
Strengths and Abilities
Having both conditions also creates unique strengths:
Creative problem-solving: The combination of autism's systematic thinking and ADHD's creative, non-linear thinking can lead to innovative solutions.
Passionate expertise: Autism's intense interests combined with ADHD's enthusiasm can create deep expertise and infectious passion for subjects.
Adaptability: While change is challenging, people with both conditions often develop strong coping skills and resilience.
Unique perspectives: The combination of different thinking styles can lead to insights and perspectives that others might miss.
The Importance of Understanding
For people with both conditions, understanding that they have both autism and ADHD can be incredibly validating and helpful. It explains why some strategies work while others don't, and why their experiences might not fit neatly into descriptions of either condition alone.
Diagnosing One Without the Other Can Be a Problem
Historically, many people received incomplete diagnoses, being identified with either autism or ADHD but not both. This incomplete picture often led to confusion, ineffective interventions, and ongoing struggles.
ADHD Often Gets Diagnosed First
ADHD symptoms often become apparent earlier in life, especially in school settings where attention and behavior are closely monitored. A child who's fidgety, distractible, or impulsive is likely to be noticed and referred for evaluation.
However, autism traits might be attributed to other causes:
Social difficulties might be seen as shyness or immaturity
Sensory sensitivities might be dismissed as pickiness
Special interests might be seen as normal childhood phases
Stimming might be discouraged without understanding its function
Autism May Be Missed or Misdiagnosed
When autism isn't recognized alongside ADHD, several problems can occur:
Ineffective interventions: Strategies that work for ADHD alone might not address autism-related needs, leading to limited progress.
Increased anxiety and behavioral problems: Unaddressed autism needs can lead to anxiety, meltdowns, or behavioral issues that are misinterpreted as defiance or emotional problems.
Academic struggles: Accommodations for ADHD might not address autism-related learning differences, leading to ongoing academic challenges.
Social difficulties: Social challenges might be attributed to ADHD impulsivity rather than autism-related communication differences, leading to inappropriate social skills interventions.
The Cost of Incomplete Diagnosis
When people don't receive complete diagnoses, several negative outcomes can occur:
Self-blame: People might blame themselves for struggles that are actually related to undiagnosed autism or ADHD.
Ineffective treatment: Interventions that don't address all of someone's needs are unlikely to be fully effective.
Increased mental health problems: Unaddressed autism or ADHD can lead to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
Masking and burnout: People might exhaust themselves trying to compensate for unrecognized challenges.
Relationship difficulties: Family and friends might not understand ongoing struggles despite treatment for the diagnosed condition.
What Triggers Challenges in People With Both
Understanding what typically triggers difficulties for people with both autism and ADHD can help families, educators, and employers create more supportive environments.
Environmental Triggers
Busy, noisy environments: Open offices, crowded restaurants, or chaotic classrooms can overwhelm sensory systems while also making it difficult to focus and filter distractions.
Unpredictable environments: Situations where expectations are unclear or constantly changing can trigger both autism's need for predictability and ADHD's executive functioning challenges.
Overstimulating environments: Places with too much visual, auditory, or social stimulation can lead to overload and subsequent attention difficulties.
Schedule and Routine Triggers
Sudden schedule changes: Unexpected changes can be particularly difficult because they disrupt both autism's need for routine and ADHD's fragile organizational systems.
Unclear expectations: When instructions are vague or expectations are implicit rather than explicit, both conditions can make it difficult to understand what's expected.
Time pressure: Rushed situations can trigger ADHD's executive functioning difficulties while also creating the kind of stress that makes autism traits more prominent.
Social and Communication Triggers
Social pressure to "act normal": Environments where masking is expected or encouraged can be exhausting and lead to burnout for people with both conditions.
Unclear communication: Indirect communication, sarcasm, or implied meanings can be challenging for autism while also taxing ADHD's attention resources.
Group social situations: Large groups can be overwhelming for sensory processing while also making it difficult to track conversations and social dynamics.
Task-Related Triggers
Boring or repetitive tasks: ADHD makes it difficult to sustain attention on uninteresting tasks, while autism might create distress if these tasks interrupt more engaging activities.
Complex multi-step instructions: These can overwhelm both executive functioning abilities and information processing capacity.
Transitions between activities: Moving from one activity to another can be challenging for both autism (difficulty with change) and ADHD (difficulty with transitions).
Emotional and Stress Triggers
Criticism or correction: Both conditions can make people more sensitive to feedback, especially if it feels like criticism of their core traits rather than specific behaviors.
Perfectionism pressure: Many people with both conditions develop perfectionist tendencies as a way to cope, but this can create additional stress and anxiety.
Comparison to others: Being compared to neurotypical peers can highlight differences and create shame about natural traits.
Physical and Health Triggers
Sleep deprivation: Both conditions can affect sleep, and lack of sleep makes all symptoms worse.
Hunger or low blood sugar: Both conditions can affect awareness of bodily needs, and hunger can significantly impact mood and functioning.
Physical discomfort: Uncomfortable clothing, seating, or environments can be particularly distracting for people with sensory sensitivities.
Understanding these triggers helps create environments and strategies that minimize unnecessary stress and maximize the person's ability to function effectively.
Want to Help People With Autism? Start With Understanding
If you truly want to support an autistic person in your life, especially someone who might also have ADHD, the most important thing you can do is develop genuine understanding of their experience.
The Importance of Lived Experience
Reading about autism and ADHD in medical journals or textbooks provides important information, but it doesn't capture the lived experience of having these conditions. To truly understand what someone goes through, you need to hear from people who actually live with autism and ADHD.
Sonia Krishna Chand's book "Dropped in a Maze" shares her personal story of living with autism and being misdiagnosed for years. Her memoir is raw, honest, and deeply relatable, especially if you're a parent, teacher, sibling, or friend trying to understand autism from the inside out.
What Reading Personal Stories Teaches Us
Personal accounts like Sonia's teach us things that clinical descriptions can't:
The emotional experience: What it actually feels like to navigate social situations when you don't understand the unwritten rules, or to be overwhelmed by sensory input that others don't even notice.
The exhaustion of masking: How tiring it is to constantly monitor and control your natural responses to appear more neurotypical.
The relief of understanding: How transformative it can be to finally understand why certain things have always been difficult and to know that you're not broken or deficient.
The complexity of dual diagnosis: How having both autism and ADHD creates unique challenges that don't fit neatly into either diagnostic category.
Building Empathy and Compassion
Reading personal stories builds empathy in ways that clinical information alone cannot. When you understand what someone actually experiences, you're more likely to:
Respond with patience rather than frustration when they're struggling
Recognize that challenging behaviors often come from genuine distress
Appreciate the effort that goes into daily tasks that seem simple to neurotypical people
Understand why accommodations are necessary, not just helpful
Moving Beyond Stereotypes
Personal stories also help combat stereotypes and misconceptions about autism and ADHD. Sonia's story, for example, challenges assumptions about:
What autism "looks like" (she wasn't diagnosed until adulthood)
The relationship between intelligence and autism
The experiences of autistic women
The possibility of having both autism and ADHD
Practical Understanding
Personal accounts provide practical insights about what actually helps and what doesn't. They can help you understand:
Why certain accommodations make a real difference
How to communicate more effectively
What environmental factors to consider
How to provide support without being condescending
Sonia's book is particularly valuable because it reads like a conversation rather than a textbook. Her insights come from both her personal experience as an autistic person and her professional background as a therapist, providing a unique perspective that bridges lived experience and clinical knowledge.
How Can Parents and Adults Support Loved Ones With Autism and ADHD?
Supporting someone with both autism and ADHD requires understanding how the conditions interact and affect daily life. Here are practical strategies that can make a real difference:
Get Informed About Both Conditions
Learn about autism and ADHD separately: Understanding each condition individually helps you recognize how they might show up differently in the same person.
Understand the interaction: Learn how autism and ADHD can create unique challenges when they occur together.
Read personal accounts: Books like "Dropped in a Maze" provide insights that clinical information can't capture.
Stay current: Our understanding of both conditions continues to evolve, so staying informed about new research and perspectives is important.
Recognize That Not All Behaviors Are Intentional
Many behaviors that seem defiant, lazy, or disrespectful are actually symptoms of autism or ADHD:
Difficulty following instructions: Might be due to executive functioning challenges, not defiance.
Forgetting tasks: Could be working memory issues from ADHD, not lack of caring.
Avoiding social situations: Might be sensory overload or social exhaustion, not rudeness.
Hyperfocus on interests: Is a trait of both conditions, not selfishness or obsession.
Understanding this distinction helps you respond with support rather than punishment or criticism.
Create Predictable Routines with Built-in Flexibility
This addresses both autism's need for predictability and ADHD's need for some variety:
Establish consistent daily structure: Regular times for meals, homework, and bedtime help both conditions.
Build in choice within structure: "It's homework time. Would you like to do math or reading first?"
Prepare for changes: When routines must change, provide as much advance notice as possible.
Have backup plans: When the original plan doesn't work, having alternatives ready reduces stress.
Break Tasks Into Small, Manageable Steps
Both conditions can make large tasks feel overwhelming:
Use visual supports: Checklists, charts, or pictures can help with organization and memory.
Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge progress on individual steps, not just completion of entire projects.
Provide processing time: Allow extra time for understanding instructions and transitioning between activities.
Offer choices: When possible, let the person choose the order of steps or methods for completing tasks.
Focus on Strengths, Not Just Challenges
Both autism and ADHD come with genuine strengths that should be recognized and developed:
Identify individual strengths: Pattern recognition, creativity, attention to detail, passion for interests, or innovative thinking.
Build on interests: Use special interests as bridges to learning new skills or concepts.
Appreciate different perspectives: Value the unique insights that come from thinking differently.
Provide opportunities for success: Create situations where the person can use their strengths and experience competence.
Avoid Comparisons to Others
Each person's journey with autism and ADHD is unique:
Focus on individual progress: Compare the person to their own past performance, not to others.
Recognize different timelines: Development might be uneven or follow a different trajectory than typically expected.
Value individual goals: What success looks like varies greatly from person to person.
Appreciate unique combinations: The specific way autism and ADHD interact is different for each individual.
Create Sensory-Friendly Environments
Both conditions often involve sensory sensitivities:
Reduce overwhelming stimuli: Dim harsh lights, minimize background noise, and limit visual clutter when possible.
Provide sensory tools: Noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, or weighted blankets might be helpful.
Respect sensory needs: If someone says something is too loud or bright, believe them and help make adjustments.
Allow sensory breaks: Regular breaks from stimulating environments help prevent overload.
Support Communication Needs
Both conditions can affect communication:
Be direct and clear: Avoid sarcasm, hints, or implied meanings when giving instructions or feedback.
Allow processing time: Give the person time to understand and respond to questions or requests.
Respect communication styles: Not everyone communicates in the same way, and that's okay.
Check for understanding: Make sure instructions or expectations are clear before assuming the person understands.
Encourage Self-Advocacy
Help the person understand their own needs and how to communicate them:
Teach about their conditions: Help them understand their autism and ADHD traits without shame.
Practice asking for help: Role-play how to request accommodations or support.
Identify personal strategies: Help them recognize what works best for them individually.
Build confidence: Celebrate when they successfully advocate for their needs.
Reading Sonia's book is one of the best ways to build compassion and clarity about supporting someone with autism. Her insights help readers understand what support actually looks like from the perspective of someone who's lived it.
Conclusion
The relationship between autism and ADHD is complex, but the message is simple: both conditions are real, both deserve understanding, and people with both can thrive when given appropriate support and acceptance.
Reading personal accounts like Sonia's "Dropped in a Maze" helps us develop the empathy and understanding necessary to provide this kind of support. Her story reminds us that behind every diagnosis are real people with real experiences, hopes, and dreams who deserve to be understood and supported.
Get a copy of "Dropped in a Maze" on Amazon today.
Source
National Library of Medicine. (2022). "ASD and ADHD Comorbidity: What Are We Talking About?." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8918663/
