Just diagnosed with ADHD and Autism

[CrystalMud]

Diagnosed with 'AuDHD' at 38 - AMA!

Privately or by the NHS?

Private or NHS?

What are your symptoms?

😅

There's a section of mn for neurodivergent people - you might find it helpful.

I'm your age and am 99% sure I'm autistic and have ADHD, OP.

Can I please ask: what was it that triggered you getting an assessment done, at age 38??

What difference does it make?

A huge difference! Time, money, the actual experience of what happens. It’s useful to know.

My own personal experience is that it does make a difference.

I ask the initial question as the OP may not have that same experience and therefore any further questions I have they will not be able to answer.

There needs to be some sort of study these conditions seem to be now endemic. Off the top of my head 5 separate children of friends and acquaintances all diagnosed with these conditions. What on earth is going on?

More people are being assessed therefore more are being diagnosed?

What do you mean 'what on earth is going on'? Why are you shocked that you know 5 family friends who have autism and/or ADHD?

In regards to the number of women, it's down to chronic underdiagnosing due to the disorders presenting differently than the standard 'male' markers.

This is either in the form of no diagnosis being given or the wrong diagnosis.

My question is how did the assessors distinguish between your autistic traits and your ADHD traits?

I ask this because in my (admittedly lay) opinion I think my child has ADHD but I’m being told the traits I think could be ADHD are in fact autism.

I’ve got another thread about this which I’m finding very interesting and I’m starting to think there’s a possibility ‘AuDHD’ doesn’t exist

Nothing is 'going on'. There have always been neurodivergent and neurotypical people in the world. Just better knowledge, education and acceptance these days.

Private diagnosis. I chose somewhere that seemed to have a pretty through assessment process for each.

It's called The Autism Service.

I had ADHD assessment first and they picked up ASD traits so I then had that assessment.

I think around this age is actually some kind of statistical average for late diagnosis.

What triggered my assessment... Mainly recurrent burnout which I'd previously attributed to dyslexia, OCD and trauma. But those explanations didn't quite make sense as to why I experienced things so differently to my peers/can do so much less.

I didn't realise that all of the different things I find challenging add up to ADHD and ASD. I just never understood what was going on and why I sometimes couldn't function, and always would crash.

I suspect a lot of women and girls have been treated as mentally ill. I was in and out of mental health services from 13. I now think a lot of my mental ill health was due to struggling but not being able to express e.g. sensory differences, alexithymia etc

Hi OP,

I've been on the assessment list for NHS for both for 1.5 years. I have supposedly 6 months to go now but I am thinking about going private. I'm in surrey, and the price I've been quoted is circa £2.5k. I think if this gets me the help I need it would be invaluable, I was wondering if you could share the cost of your private assessment?

Thank you!

I had mine separately so the first thing was the psychologist picking up on some things I thought were due to ADHD but were actually ASD. Black and white thinking, rigidity, eye contact, reciprocity etc. And when I had ASD assessment they had to check I had symptoms that wouldn't be better explained by my ADHD. So those things I mentioned, special interests, social communication differences, various other things I said.

She did say to me what having both ADHD and ASD can be quite a different presentation, and suggested I look specifically at resources about AuDHD.

Sorry didn't answer the second bit - I think it definitely does exist. The tensions between the two different things are definitely something I notice a lot. E.g. ASD need for order and routine, ADHD inability to manage order or routine.

I can't remember off the top of my head but the prices are on the Autism Service website. It is quite expensive.

Honestly for me I don't think this diagnosis will lead to much help as such, I think it will just give me insight into the way my mind works which might help me manage certain challenges and help prevent burnout.

Maybe I should have mentioned in my OP, I'm dyslexic, have OCD and also intellectually 'gifted' as well as being AuDHD. So I have a very big contrast between ability and disability, which has been very perplexing for me and everyone around me forever as I 'seemed like' I could do a lot of things I just cannot.

Thanks @CrystalMud.

The catalyst for me is burnout too. I have been wrongly prescribed anti depressants, and have suicidal tendencies on my medical records which I categorically don't have. I am not depressed and recognise I mask a lot. I had a break down in 2022 and was put in therapy which I did stick out, and I took the meds, but it felt wrong. I think a diagnosis would help me too, and just give me some validation as to why my brain is how it is, and why I react to things the way I do.

Can you give a bit more information about the things that you find difficult?