Living with AuDHD When Autism and ADHD often co-occur traits from both can overlap, and blend. These traits can show up differently in each person, depending on context, environment, and individual coping strategies.
Some people with AuDHD have described their experience like a “seesaw” where either autism or ADHD is more prominent:
- “Eleanor was a 58-year-old Caucasian woman referred for an ADHD assessment... On one hand, she exhibited exceptional organisational skills in certain areas, while in others she was strikingly disorganised. Her attention showed similar contradictions, with an intense focus on some tasks and complete inattentiveness towards others. She described constant oscillation between ADHD and autistic traits… She had consulted at least a dozen psychiatrists over the years without finding clarity…After thoroughly assessing her symptoms, I diagnosed her with ADHD and highlighted the autistic features that contributed to her challenges…This diagnosis offered her a profound sense of relief and validation, helping her to make sense of the complexities that had defined her life for so long”. - Dr Khurram Sadiq, Explaining AuDHD, page 105.
For some traits on either side might seem like “opposites,”, other traits are shared and can work together to create strengths and can make certain situations easier to navigate. Some may apply to you and others may not.
DEVON ADULT AUTISM AND ADHD SERVICE 9
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