Adhd and Autism - shared traits.

[Trivester]

I stumbled across this image and I’m really struck by it, and how enormous the overlap between adhd and autism is.

I’ve come across a lot of discussion about things like RSD, executive function difficulties, time blindness in the context of adhd but I’ve not come across those in relation to autism.

I’m curious how much of these symptoms people relate to, which ones the meds help with.

I’m looking at ds who has autism but has huge challenges with school work and organising, which sound a lot like adhd issues that respond to medication.

I also find it puzzling that, where I am anyway, autism is handled by disability services, and Adhd by cahms. If there’s this much overlap, why are they not Putting their heads together?

or am I just giving too much credence to a nice picture?

I assumed that the things that overlap wouldn't be able to be treated by medication in autistics as the cause is autism and not ADHD.
I struggle massively with executive function but don't have ADHD.

It was only is 2013 that the DSM5 allowed ADHD and autism to be diagnosed together. The research on comorbidity of these conditions is therefore seriously lacking and clinical services move even more slowly than the latest scientific understanding. So…yeah.

Also as of 2020 according to a freedom of information request in my local NHS board there were ZERO children and young people who had a combined diagnosis of ADHD and ASD using ICD-10 codes. This is amongst a population of probably about 900,000 people. It’s frankly scary how behind and ill equipped services are.

Similar to @ofwarren, my psychiatrist explained that overlapping symptoms that actually stemmed from autism wouldn't be treatable by ADHD meds, so it's a suck it and see kind of deal. I've heard elsewhere that some autistics do have success with ADHD meds without having ADHD - but for all I know that might be a misdiagnosis.

My local service handles both ADHD and ASD in the same location. Much better, particularly since having both (which is extremely common) can hugely impact how either one presents, so misdiagnosis is more likely to occur if someone isn't looking out for both simultaneously.

wow. I thought they would be more different than that, or maybe there are difficulties but they preesent in different ways not captured by the infographic.

I wonder if the boundaries between these conditions will shift in the DSM VI or VII. I think they have a lot more to learn.

@FloorWipes I could be completely wrong here but I thought that where the ICD 10 and DSM part ways is that the DSM allows for co morbidity but the ICD is strictly either/or.