How can you differentiate between ADHD and Autism?

If a child of your family is showing symptoms of inattention, lack of impulse control, and hyperactivity, and you are wondering, “Is it ADHD or autism?”. This question is often confusing and complex, as both disorders are intermixed due to some relevance in their symptoms. As a book cannot be judged by its cover, disease cannot be diagnosed merely by the symptoms. The doctor can primarily diagnose the right disorder. You should study their differences and the complexities associated with these disorders. Understand their similarities and gain clarity on this confusing phenomenon.

How are ADHD and Autism connected?

You wonder about the link between ADHD and autism, as you see your family member who seems to show signs of both diseases. There was an old perception that you could only have one of them, but now studies prove that these conditions are often connected. They share some surprisingly common characteristics, making both disorders complexly interconnected. At some stage, they start to overlap with each other. Various dimensions need to be studied to comprehend the relationship between these ailments. 

What is the ADHD and Autism Overlap?

When you start to learn about ADHD and autism, you will notice that they share atypical numbers of characteristics, making it quite confusing. Most often, the patients show behaviour that fits both diseases. This overlap is the main reason that makes it difficult for medical professionals to determine this condition. There are various areas where you can observe these mental disorders with coexistence. 

• Executive Functioning Challenges: Both ADHD and autistic individuals often experience difficulties with the executive functioning of the brain. They may find it difficult to organize their tasks and remember things. They face poor time management and trouble keeping focus and paying attention. If you struggle with your daily work, it might be because of difficulties in a common sphere of both diseases.
• Social Differences: Although their reasons vary, you might observe social difficulties in both conditions. In the case of ADHD, you struggle with social affairs due to impulsive behavior and inattentiveness, e.g, you may interrupt others or miss social cues as your attention has been diverted. On the other hand, autistic individuals naturally find it difficult to grasp social indications or to talk smoothly on their turn.  Despite different root causes, the outcomes are similar. 
• Sensory Differences: Many individuals with ADHD and autism process sensory information differently. You might get extra sensitive to different sounds, lights, textures, or smells. You may also develop an intensified sensory input. It can be exemplified as some individuals take a bit of noise as overwhelming, whereas others simply ignore it.  
• Emotional Regulation: If you get emotional more often in your daily routine, you might be suffering from any of these mental disorders. Both ADHD and autistic people often face challenges in controlling their emotions. It comes from differences in brain functioning, sensory overburden, or a nervous system becoming more reactive to stress.
• Repetitive Behaviors and Hyperactivity: Repetitive movements (sometimes called “stimming”)  are strongly related to autism,  but are also seen in ADHD. These actions can serve a self-regulatory purpose, like helping to calm down or release excess energy. As an autistic individual, you might use stimming more consistently for relaxing yourself or to regulate your sensations. 
• Hyperfocus: People affected by both disorders have another thing in common: they usually focus more on their interests. For ADHD, this is often called “hyperfocus” and works on your interests, which are developed by your nervous system. Autistic people may experience “monotropism,” a deep unifocus on a limited range of interests. In both cases, it can lead to extra activity engagement, not allowing you to shift your attention to other tasks.
• Time Perception: There is an issue with sufferers of both groups in perceiving their time. It is just like “Time Blindness”, in which you are unable to tell how much time has passed or how long something will take. They have trouble managing their time as they do not discern the time correctly.
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): The Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is usually associated with ADHD, but those who suffer from autism also experience an immense sensitivity to criticism or rejection. It means that they felt emotionally ill if they faced any rejection or criticism. 

Can you have AuDHD?  

An individual can have AuDHD, which means both autism and ADHD. For a long time, diagnostic criteria made it difficult to receive both diagnoses simultaneously. But as the research on neurodevelopmental disorders has been carried out, it is now acknowledged that these disorders often coexist.

• They Show Similar Things, But Come From Different Places: Both disorders of autism and ADHD involve differences in brain function, but have differences in their expressions as their underlying mechanisms are distinguished in nature. It is like two different routes leading to the same city. If you have ADHD, you might struggle with social interactions due to impulsivity or a lack of attention.

 On the other hand, an autistic person might struggle with social interactions due to differences in social communication and understanding social norms. When someone has AuDHD, they might experience a combination of these challenges, making their social experiences particularly complex.

What is the difference between ADHD and Autism? 

ADHD and autism are mental and behavioral disorders that affect the whole life of a sufferer. Some prime differences separate them from each other. These distinct points are crucial to understand in order to have better care and management of their symptoms. Their effects can almost be regarded as the same, but the differences do exist in their challenges and experiences. 

• Core Challenges

If you are affected by ADHD, your main problems may include a lack of attention, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity. This means you find it very hard to focus on your assignments, and often act without thinking. You may face trouble sitting quietly, with a continuous need to move.

 In contrast, a person with autism primarily faces challenges with their social communication and social interactions. They have particular interests and activities that they repeat continuously without paying attention to any other work. They face immense trouble disciplining their life with a routine. They remain unable to wait for their turn in the conversation and abruptly interrupt the other. 

• Social Interaction

You may face difficulty in social situations if you are a patient of ADHD. This disorder has led you to excessive talking, even by interrupting others. You may also fail to notice social cues because you have difficulty focusing on your tasks. It is evident that it is difficult for you to understand how social interactions work, but you frequently want to connect with others. 

However, those affected by autism may have trouble understanding others’ body language and facial expressions. They also remain unaware of social perspectives, making it difficult for them to survive social interactions. They may not always make an effort to interact socially in the same way as others, and their socializing style may differ.

• Communication Style

A person with ADHD may tend to speak quickly. They switch topics more frequently and struggle to listen calmly to others. A person with autism may speak differently. For example, they might repeat specific words or phrases, have trouble cracking jokes, or understanding sarcasm. He speaks in a very plain tone. It is also crucial to understand that some autistic individuals may communicate in other ways and may be unable to convey their complete message through spoken words.

• Interests and Focus

With the disorder of ADHD, you often have unique, different interests and might easily switch your focus from one thing to another. You may also focus on some things in a manner that is more than required. At the same time, an autistic person tends to develop very deep, specific, and sometimes narrow interests. They usually learn only about their favorite things and those particular interests, and they want to stick to them by not allowing diversion to another topic. 

• Sensory Experiences

Although sensory sensitivity or a desire for sensory stimulation (such as fidgeting) may be present in people with ADHD, these traits are typically not a major component of the disorder. Strong sensory sensitivity is common in autistic individuals. This implies that they may actively seek out particular sensory input or that they may find particular sounds, lights, textures, or smells extremely upsetting. These sensitivities may significantly impact their comfort level and day-to-day experiences.

Individuals with ADHD are sensitive to sensory inputs as they seek out sensory stimulation (like fidgeting), which isn’t usually a main part of their illness. In comparison,  individuals with autism often have very strong sensory sensitivities. This means they do get bothered a lot by certain sounds, lights, textures, or smells might bother them a lot, or they might actively seek out specific sensory input. These sensitivities hugely impact their ease and comfort in their daily life.

• Behaviors and Movement

The disorder of ADHD often involves explicit indications of hyperactivity and restlessness, i.e, fidgeting, squirming, or constantly moving. The behavioural movement of an autistic person may include repetitive movements, a strong desire to stick to the same place and things to stay the same, and an uninterrupted routine. 

In a nutshell, both of these mental and behavioural illnesses affect brain development, which ultimately impacts their daily life tasks. The differences must be understood to avoid negative consequences in the form of incorrect treatment or care. As each person has a unique medical history and distinct factors attached to the disease, a doctor can only suggest a treatment and a complete recovery plan. Self-medication or any other option instead of consulting a medical professional can be harmful. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is high-functioning AuDHD in adults?

A: If your adult child has “high-functioning autism” (now commonly referred to as autism spectrum disorder level 1), he will be struggling socially and regarding sensory processing, but does not have any intellectual disability and requires less support. Although hyperactivity is not obvious in children, adults affected by ADHD mainly consist of chronic issues with attentiveness, impulsivity, and restlessness that affect daily life chores.

Q: How to parent a child with AuDHD?

A: Parenting your child with ADHD demands a strong and resolute mental approach from you. You have to be aware of their particular traits and interests. By structuring their routines with their daily requirements and being flexible with their mistakes and errors, you can have better parenting of your affected child. 

Q: What are the different signs of AuDHD in women? 

A: The AuDHD signs differ in women due to the gender-based roles and treatment in society. Women often hide their symptoms, which go unnoticed, such as focus and attention issues, emotional bursts, and mood swings. They suffer more from this illness just because they do not show their disease or discuss it with others.