Autism vs. ADHD: 3 Key Differences You Need to Know
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- What's the difference between ADHD and autism? How can you distinguish between the two? Let’s look into autistic traits and ADHD traits to see what separates them. What are other unique characteristics of ADHD and autism? Drop your thoughts in the comments! ⤵️
Whether you are autistic, have an autistic friend, family member, or loved one, work with people on the autism spectrum, or are simply interested in learning more, this video has something for you. I'm here to provide the unique perspective of someone who is an autistic ADHDer and also an educator. We want to help people better understand autism and ADHD and support one another as well with the goal of improving communication and life in general for all of us in a neurodiverse world.
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📌 Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:21 The Basics of ADHD and ASD
0:48 Predictability vs. Impulsivity
3:07 Differences in Focus
6:03 Communication Challenges
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what's most fascinating to me is when someone has both and has an entirely different set of challenges, because there's often compensation happening that can end up masking it all
It also makes it incredibly difficult to get it diagnosed with ASD due to tick boxes referring to “prioritising a need for routines” as criteria for diagnosis whereas anyone who has ADHD too would know the absolute struggle of creating and maintaining a steady routine…
@@SDFordOfficialwant routine and systems but cannot do anything regularly. Taking my non adhd medication is a challenge I have to have help with.
Awaiting an ADHD diagnosis. My daughter and grandson are diagnosed with both.
Overcoming masking and misdiagnosis is a struggle I think we all have shared experience in.
I have diagnosis of neither, but I'm pretty sure I have both. And I want everything to be organized, but I'm really bad at keeping stuff organized. I need routine, but also need variation. The mutual masking of these two mostly shows to the outside, but not so much to the inside, which is more a battle of two wills inside me. I've often used the analogy of driving a car while pressing both the brake and gas pedals at the same time.
In some cases, like mine, they sort of cancel each other out. My need for organisation, structure and routine is negated by my complete distain for maintain a routine, be organised and be time and date blind yet be on time every time. At least almost every time. I've been dismissed every time. EVeryone in my family is diagnosed with AuDHD, brothers, son, cousins, aunts, uncle, literally 2/3 of my family has a formal diagnosis, the rest are just in denial. Yet I'm the only one who wouldn't be neurodivergent when I actually do struggle with overwhealm, burnouts, struggle with routines (medications, cleaning, personal hygine stuff, making phonecalls, booking appointments) and this shit is just getting worse.
Having both really stops either condition from being noticed, too fun loving & social to be autistic, too organised & successful to have ADHD, it's so frustrating
Real
I also have both adhd and autism and relate to both examples. I read something somewhere I really like: I crave routine, order and structure but every room I leave looks like a bomb has exploded.
Do you relate to the following? When I feel comfortable and relatively stress-free my adhd has the upper hand; I'm spontanious, impulsive and i want to try new things, I get bored doing the same thing over and over, but when I get stressed or anxious my autism takes over and I need predictability, routine.
I am still figuring out how to balance everything, and getting a late adhd diagnosis has helped me understand things a little bit better, but it's not easy.
I would love a video where you talk about the seemingly paradoxical lives of people with both adhd and autism.
Yup, so would I.
Yes this exactly describes it for me. I'm losing hope for finding a balance.
I feel that description on such a deep level!
Edit: and yes, I relate to that description completely, though I'm diagnosed ADHD, close family and I have heavily suspected that I'm also autistic as well, though I've never gotten a formal diagnosis on that one.
I relate to this alot
I totally get this!! It's like I have two different brains.
I'm in a chat group for autistic's and for the first time in my life I don't have to try to be understood, it's bloody great.
I need to do that!
@@sciencenotsrigma it's been great so far.
This was a great video! However I have ADHD and I’d argue that ADHD people also hyperfocus as much as autistic people. It’s not an “attention deficit” as much as an attention disregulator, due to our baseline lack of dopamine. I’ve found that it’s either we can’t focus at all, or we focus too hard. If we do get the dopamine to do a task, eg through novelty or spontaneity or interest as you said earlier, we can also go into those intense periods where nothing and no one can pull us away from our focus, but it also means it can be hard to finish tasks once we’ve stopped if the dopamine from the novelty has worn off after a break and we’re not motivated anymore, and then we switch to a new thing, which is probably where the stereotype of not being able to focus on anything came from. We can focus, it’s just incredibly hard to rrgulate it compared to a neurotypical.
Thanks for your comment, I came to make sure someone said this. It's one of my pet peeves that there's this misunderstanding. I have ADHD, and my husband has autism, but I'd say that of the two of us I'm the one that struggles most with hyperfocus and the inability to pull myself away from something interesting. A lot of the symptoms in this video were actually from poor working memory, not as much lack of focus, although those things seem similar on the surface. ADHD brains lack working memory "slots", so we can't keep as many things in the back of our minds while focusing on other things, hence forgetting where we put stuff down and not remembering what somebody asked us to do after we finish what we're doing.
@@gracewalton5479 Honestly ADHD is so badly named I wish they would change it to accurately reflect how it is
I was thinking about this too! There’s a lot of overlap in the way both groups hyperfocus. To me, the autistic side ties more into the routine comfortability and difficulty gear-switching with tasks-e.g. “to complete this task, I need to follow this set of steps, and deviating from those steps or being stopped from completing them is going to be distressing for me, so I can’t do anything else or move onto another task until this one is completed.” Aside from tasks, I’ll also hyperfocus on things I like when I’m feeling overwhelmed-shutting out the rest of the world by falling back on something I really like, like rewatching my favorite tv show or turning on music super loud, helps me regain comfort and control and settle down emotionally.
But then there’s my adhd side, where hyperfocus is entirely dopamine- or adrenaline-driven. If I find something new that flips that special switch in my brain, thinking or talking about anything else literally sends my brain into withdrawal-it’s incredibly difficult to make myself focus and I get anxious and impatient until I can get back to consuming whatever’s providing that dopamine, and I’ll ignore things I know I “should” do or “should” focus on because of it. The only thing that counteracts it is adrenaline, when the sheer panic of looming deadlines and responsibilities is enough to override the dopamine fixation and switch my focus to something else, which is how I can go from binging a tv show for 14 hours straight into to pulling an all-nighter to get my apartment clean before my family visits the next day.
I think the same kind of thing can be noticed with autistic special interests versus adhd hyper fixations. Special interests tend to remain the same over long periods of time-I’m still interested in a lot of the same things I was as a kid and know a LOT about them. Doing and/or talking about them is comforting and a “safe” zone for me because of my enjoyment, familiarity, and knowledge. But with adhd hyperfixations, I’ll have *intense* periods of interest where I consume everything I can about the topic until the dopamine fizzles out after a month or two, then I’ll find something else to replace it. Previous fixations can be reignited-usually if something new happens, like a new album or season of a tv show coming out, and sometimes I’ll just revisit something for the comfort and find myself hyper fixating again (although it usually doesn’t last as long as the initial phase)-but without the constant novelty of new content, it’s hard to maintain a hyper fixation over a long period of time.
the whole video is really bad
Officially the video I will show to people around me still thinking Autism=rainman or ADHD=human ferret. Clear, to the point and damn true, all of it. ❤
Wow! Beautifully said
I share his videos and the NTs in my family comment without watching, explaining autism to me. I haven't told all of them yet that I ended up diagnosed too after my nephew. Why do they feel so entitled to speak FOR people who didn't ask them to?
But the guy RainMan was based on wasn't even autistic. Human ferrets seem like a dehumanizing comment
@@rahbeeuh The guy that Rainman was based on had a condition similar to autism. And Dustin Hoffman spent time with autistic people before filming. So his performance is based partly on autism.
@@Catlily5 not really. Kim Peek had savant syndrome which only occurs in 10% of Autistic people. Savant syndrome is very different from Autism and considered rare. If Dustin Hoffman spent time with people similar to Peek then his portrayal wasn't based on Autistic people but savants.
I'm glad you talk about diarrhea so often. It gives me another chance to say, "Hey, me, too!"
I’m the opposite. When I say I’m anal retentive, I’m being both literal and figurative.
Some of us with ADHD start out messy and disorganized but eventually become very organized as a coping mechanism. While I function better when my surroundings are in order, it doesn't ruin my day if something is out of place or my routine is interrupted.
Yeah I was misdiagnosed with asperger syndrome when I was 11. Just when I lost my mother after two years fighting cancer and unable to having said goodbye. And been through years of trauma since a young age (including physical/sexual/mental abuse since a very young age, seeing multiple deaths and a very bloody suicide attempt by a good friend right in front of my face).
I've lived in many (weird and fucked up) places since then. I've also lived in a place and went to school specially for ASS. Only after my life spiraled out of control after losing my father at 18 and spending years in survival mode, which led to me being homeless, did I get somewhat proper help. I then learned I didn't have autism at all, but instead suffered from ADHD, cptsd, ptsd, avoidant personality disorder, RAD, brain damage and now also chronic pain due to kidney disease. During that time I went into an abusive relationship with someone with ADHD ,ASS and BPD etc. While learning about myself and my ADHD I started losing myself in that relationship and lost 20kg bodyweight due to the constant stress. I was gaslit, manipulated and lost all of my friends during that time. Although she has autisme she was even worse at keeping everything tidy, organised and clean. I could never find anything because she always just dropped everything and misplaced all of our stuff. It's been over a year since I've left that relationship now, but I'm still living in quite a mess. I can't seem to find any overview, can't seem to be able to prioritise or keep it together. I also have very low energy and can't always function because of damaged kidneys, urinary tract and bladder. Which not only cause chronic pain, but my kidney function is also low. On top of that I can't keep any semblance of a sleeping schedule because I often wake sweating from the pain. All these things paired and especially the pain, trauma and adhd make me very depressed, lonely and extremely tired. I wish I was able to do the things that would improve my mental health and emotions. Like taking walks in nature, making friends, seeing people, sleeping well, practicing hobbies and doing fun things (which I mostly don't). I'm literally dreaming off a well organised and tidy home and life.
I wanted to say something else much less heavy and not doing an oversharing infodump at first. But I guess I had to get it off my chest.
At first I was going to delete this comment and even if no one reads it or this is not the best place, I'm going to post it anyway. As I am trying to be more open and authentic.
I'm sorry about all that:(
Some autistic people also become very socially astute, for the same reason…not comfortable or spontaneous, but apparently so, because we can be quick and strategic (especially if we rehearse, and anticipate what people are likely to talk about, or how they might react).
@@DeltaNovum. I hate when people accuse others of oversharing, in forums like this. We need to support each other. I’ve been through a lot of trauma, as well, and sometimes people don’t believe me, or think I’m making stuff up for attention. I was a runaway/street kid, back in the day, so I get that it’s not things everyone sees everyday, but inner city people sometimes do see blood and violence, so I just wanted to say I get that it affects you! Put together with the fact that it was someone you cared about, that must have been so traumatic. I have also experienced SA &, personally, CSEC, then and it does never leave you. I’m older now & it has really helped me to be able to help and connect with other people around that, because I remember how it was, when I first found people who had gone through the same thing, and how it helped me heal. Now, it feels good to be a resource, for others, though I, largely, do that through work, so there are boundaries and it’s safe for everyone. I will talk to individuals online, even if I don’t know them, because I have a pretty good 6th sense for when people are real (or I wouldn’t be here), but not into the online activism thing, for me. Anyway, I wish you hope and healing. ❤️🩹. Thanks for sharing some of your thoughts, feelings, and experience.
@@elodieboerma thanks
I am autistic and my husband has inattentive ADHD ( both late diagnosed) which led to very interesting misunderstandings in the past but we worked our way past it. I do most of the household chores, not because of some bs gender norm but because a clean and specifically organized environment helps me feel safe and happy at home and there is no way my husband (or anyone for that matter) can remember all the little rules of what has to go where or how to clean certain things correctly. I struggled for a long time but since we both realized what was going on with us our communication about what is happening in our heads and with our emotions has become a million times better and we have way more productive conflict resolution without me going into meltdown and him closing off and leaving the room.
Gender roles aren't evil. My parents are about to celebrate 50 years of marriage, supported by gender roles.
@@NiaLaLa_VIt's great that it works for your parents! But the problem with gender roles is that they are imposed on everyone but don't fit everyone
Same with my parents! My mom is the only one between us who can keep the house organized, and she feels well to do so. Also she is kinda responsable for some things we are not able to do alone, like taking care of the money and keep everyone fed up. I believe my dad is ADHD like me. He build the whole house by himself. Se is very creative and can fix and construct anything. They could be a good duo if they were aware of their sittuation. People keep telling us, especially to me and daddy, that we shoudn't accept mom's help, that we should take care of ourselves, and fell guilty. Now my dad kinda lives in the house above. He has lost a lot of weight, and has a lot of unpaid bills. He can't keep the house. And he suffer thanks to this. I did the same. And suffered a lot to. My mom too. She wanted to help us. It helped her too. So weird. But this is the right way to live, i think. The neurotypical way
@@srob6168 What works for your family is what matters.
Your comment has actually shed a huge light into my hair stressful momlife! I feel like time I'm on the autism spectrum! (Recent DNA results support this) I can't function in a disorganized house, and no one in my family understands and can follow all of my little rules and needs. Sadly , this has resulted in anger, frustration, and misunderstanding.I think I'm going to look for help.
Thank you Chris for keeping your video under 10 minutes, you're a legend.
All that information was under 10 minutes? I didn't even notice! That's impressive!
I made it under 10 on this one!! Most are over 10. I’m working on creating two videos a week where one will be between 5-10 minutes. The other will be as long as it needs to be. I get that sometimes you only have 10 minutes to watch.
This was pretty good. I definitely don't have ADHD. Why don't you do a video on the difference between sensory seeking Autistic people and ADHD impulsivity. There is a huge difference. Also, one more thing - concise language doesn't help me at all and I know I'm not alone on that as an Autistic. Some of us are very detailed, and not only speak and write lots of detail and complexity, but we also need Neurotypicals to give us the detail or we don't know the context or get adequate notice.
I believe that is exactly the kind of thing he meant by concise language. Give me all the details without wasting any words.
Adhd can have hyperfocus as well. Its not controlled focusing. I cannot choose to focus on what I want to.
I can be super hyperfocused on one thing for hours and hate being disrupted. But once that hyperfocus is over, its over over, can't even look at it again.
Autistics have a main focus rheir special interest that they can be interested in long term.
ADHD I can hyperfocus on a new craft, learn liads about it order everything to do it, watch hours of videos, do the craft for a few days and then totally loose interest.
It sounds like me. I think I should seek a diagnosis because for years I thought there was something wrong with me. Very difficult to focus if I lose interest.
I have both. I zooned out about five times during this video having tangential thoughts.
Same. Tangential thoughts are no joke
Like reading comments while watching it.
Yep
Had to google what tangential means while watching this video. I hadn't heard that before and in Italian tandenziale means a road where you can drive fast.
@@Maiju86 yay learnin'! Did that take you down a rabbit hole?
My teen daughters (D1) has inattentive adhd and her twin (D2) has both level 1 autism and inattentive adhd so this video resonated way down deep for me. My biggest struggle with D2 learning how to identify and address things to help her as well as myself and others learning how to handle things appropriately as well. I have been trying to learn all I can for her sake and ours and what I have learned is that so many people have no understanding and look at me annoyed when I try to explain what her difficulties are and how best to help her. Thank you for taking the time to help educate us. Your experiences and knowledge are invaluable.
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporessss I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
I wish they were readily available in my place.
Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He is 59 & has so many mental health issues plus probable CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac.
He's constantly talking about killing someone.
He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD know if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Is he on instagram?
Yes he is. dr.sporessss
I was late diagnosed with both. I was 48 for ADHD, and 49 for ASD. I'm currently 50. Having both is exhausting 🥴😵💫.
I just recently stumbled across this channel. I'm really enjoying your videos. Thank you for the funny and relatable ways you explain it 🩵.
My sister and I had a talk about this yesterday. Both of us are late-diagnosed with adhd in our mid-twenties and recently I’ve started looking into getting an official asd diagnosis.
My sister is very much adhd (in her own words), but when I first went through the diagnostic process, I resonated much more with asd than adhd. These two are so similar and yet so different.
There was no major point I wanted to make with this comment, just sharing.
Thank you for sharing 🤗
Could you tell me what's the difference between ADHD and AuDHD in your experience? I'm trying to find anything on the topic but it's hard.
@@Nashleyism
Hello! I am not very sure myself, but my sister said that she does not relate to what she’s read about ASD but very much to what she’s read about ADHD.
I’ll try to summarize what she said:
She does not struggle with social context and usually knows what to say in certain situations / she is able to read the room, but she struggles with impulsivity and sometimes blurts things out, despite knowing that they’re not „appropriate“.
I do not. I can read facial expressions and interpret them somewhat accurately, but I never really know when to say certain things or not and I don’t know how my behavior should be in different situations (e.g. at the doctors, with friends, or at work).
She does not struggle with eye contact and she uses „double meanings“ in sentences and can understand when others do it (e.g. „Wow, this is taking a long time.“ -> She would understand that the hidden meaning is: „I am anxious that we are going to be late and I am telling you to hurry up.“).
I feel very uncomfortable with eye contact and cannot maintain it well. Double-meanings are hard for me to get, unless they’re said with a very obvious tone. A lot of conflicts between my sister and I have happened before because I made a statement (no secondary meaning, just pointing out an observation) and she interpreted something else into it.
She is very clumsy and loses a lot of things, which is something that she and I have in common.
She does not experience meltdowns, but she does experience shutdowns after a long period of socializing.
I experience both.
She does not have noise sensitivities and she plans things very spontaneous and is almost always traveling (to a friend, to some sort of event etc.).
I can only be spontaneous on my terms and I absolutely NEED a routine. If it’s disturbed my whole week is turned upside down and I need to make an entirely new plan. When friends want to meet up, they have to ask me at least 1,5 weeks in advance.
She and I are both perfectionists - another similarity.
Both of us struggle with emotions. In her case, it’s the overthinking and spiraling and in my case it’s being unable to properly express and understand what I feel.
Both of us hyperfixate, but her fixations tend to change quickly, whereas I keep fixating on things in a specific field (e.g. biology).
There is probably more, but that’s everything I could think of right now.
I hope that helps?
Edit:
Removed the previous edit because I was oversharing in it
That was really well explained.
There's also a strange thing for an ADHD about being messy, they'll have a harder time finding their stuff in somebody else changed anything into their mess.
Oh god, this is so on point! My wife is on the autistic spectrum, I am full on adhd 😂 we love the best life. You would think, this sounds like horror but we even each other's struggles out and therefore managed to stay married for over 20 years now. ❤
Congratulations, I’m so happy for the both of you. It’s pleasing to read that you can both help each other against the world. May you both have a long and happy life 🙏🙂
one good thing about being adhdistracted is that we see ALL THE DETAILS EVERYWHERE. so it's quite hard to focus on the boring human in front of us LOL
ADHD Brains also hyper focus. It's really more attention dis-regulation than deficit.
Love the "NO MUSIC" TAke on Your Videos! 😊
I have ADHD and I've known that for about a decade, but was only able to get assessed last year and finally have a diagnosis. Now, I had never truly considered that I might be autistic, because most of the autistic traits I could notice in myself can be explained by ADHD, but my psychiatrist suspects that I'm autistic too, and a few other people in my life have told me the same. My last girlfriend is both autistic and an ADHDer, and she kept saying she really thinks I'm autistic. Soooo now I keep looking at all of these traits that fit the diagnostic criteria, and I'm starting to agree with them more and more, but there are some things that, from my point of view, just don't seem to match. I've heard that if you have both, your ADHD can mask your autism and vice versa, so that could explain some things, but it's overall very confusing. Watching this video, I could relate to most things, but I still feel this deep sense of doubt.
Now, ADHD definitely severely impacts my life, and I had been struggling a lot with work before getting the diagnosis and starting on meds. But I don't see my possible autistic traits as somethings that affects my day to day negatively that much, and I'm self-employed, so I wonder whether getting assessed for autism would be worth it (it's a lot of money, which I currently don't even have). Buuut even though getting an official diagnosis might not change any practical things in my life, I really want a definite answer 😩 Sorry, not even sure I'm making sense anymore, but I'm just so confused and tired, and I don't know what to do.
Can't help, but I relate 💯!
Yeah, knowing for sure certainly makes things easier. It seems like you might just need to come to terms with the system being so badly suited to helping people. That might just mean journalling about it until your feelings are organized. Or forgiving yourself or others (like individual doctors) because you're helpless to change it.
But that won't help woth the autistic need to organize. What I do in those situations is make lists of things I'd do to fix it. And sometimes that can cause a new huperfocus or hobby. How would you fund it? Is there a non profit you can promote? Would you change any laws? Even if no action comes out of it (thanks adhd), I still feel much better knowing what I would do to make the system work for actual people.
Have you done the RAADS-R and the CAT-Q online? It’s a good starting point and pretty reliable as an indicator (not a diagnosis but can help you decide whether to go for one). I myself am self-diagnosed with both and medicated for ADHD and I should tell you that this sense of imposter syndrome is very common precisely because of this “dual-masking” effect. Do all the tests. If you come out with high probability, then go for the diagnosis if you feel you need one.
Edit to add: I also didn’t realise just how much my autism was affecting me until I started looking deeper. If you ARE autistic and you go on this journey, prepare for some revelations that could make things a little rough for a while ❤
@@Lari-lc3zq I did. Multiple times over like two years. Based on that I should definitely be tested. But have I saved the results? Of course not. Just that last one. And now I feel I have reverse-engineered the tests so much that I'm too biased to take it.
@@SimoneEppler LOL but you don’t need to have saved the results to know. That feeling of “reverse engineering” is all part of the imposter syndrome I mentioned. Just ask yourself: WHY WOULD YOU MAKE IT UP?! Like, what would the possible purpose of that be? Allistics do not spend all their time wondering if they are autistic and trying to fake test results 😉
I went through two years of this rollercoaster so I know what you’re feeling 🫂
Also, anecdotally, many people report that their numbers get higher over the years, largely due to the fact that that they start to realise how much they’ve been suppressing due to very high masking activity. I obviously cannot diagnose you but from what you have said here I’d say you have a very good case to go for an evaluation! Psychiatrist will do a whole battery of tests that you definitely won’t be able to reverse-engineer 😉
ADHD also has the ability to hyperfocus on one thing for a long time. That is not unique
I was literally going to say this. Watch me play a video game.
Monotropism is something both have in common
Same with having to finish! It takes me so long to get started that once I get going on a big task I will give up sleep and skip meals until it’s done. I get super irritated by distractions when I get locked in because I’m so scared I’ll stop, lose my place and/or not to go back to it later.
I have always said to give me the readers digest version, not war in peace.
I was diagnosed with adhd and dyslexia back in the 70’s.
Chris I really really loved the torpedo/ 🌪️ tornado analogy you used in the other video. I felt so seen! 🥺
Ok, so I may have missed it (I was driving while listening to this and there was this cute Pomeranian I drove past and a BBQ on the side of the road with a pull out little bench attached - what a great idea right?! Opps, what did he say...) but Hyperfocus is an ADHD thing too. As soon as you hit on something you love to do or that drip feeds you dopamine. Eg gaming (Zelda anyone?), scrolling and research- (obs not the topic you are SUPPOSED to be researching for school/uni.etc though) hobbies or lunch with a great mate. Plus, because time is sometimes a really difficult thing to measure for ADHDers, we can lose an entire day or evening in what feels like the blink of an eye! Resulting in being overtired the next day...which makes all ADHD symptoms worse!
So who else then feels crappy about their epically bad day and 'revenge stays up late' trying to find some dopamine before bed?🙋♀️
I came here to say this too. It's unfortunate that so many ppl assume that adhd just means ppl can't ever focus, bc it means so many of us adhders who fall into hyperfocus mode are undiagnosed, since we obviously couldn't possibly have adhd, bc "just look at how she can concentrate on playing video games for hours on end!" or whatever. Adhd can be more accurately described as a disorder of attention regulation, meaning that we *can* have a lot of trouble focusing on conversations (and especially boring ones, Chris is absolutely right about that) but can also focus on them without issue sometimes (and especially if they are really interesting).
Otherwise, a good overview, Chris, thank you. I've been diagnosed adhd for a few months now but also am beginning to suspect Audhd, so this video was helpful for me to watch.
I really appreciate how silly and authentic you show up as yourself in your videos. Sometimes I roll my eyes or make cringy faces; but I always look forward to how genuine and goofy you are. AuAdhd people are often natural Jesters.
I’m also so glad you have and cherish Debby as much as you do. I doubt this channel and it’s huge impact would be exist without your relationship.
Thanks for believing in your need to be a resource for so many others.
This is so nice of you to say - thanks for being here. And don't worry, I roll my eyes at myself and make cringy faces when I watch myself sometimes too 😂 really appreciate support of both of us!
Comments like this help us know that we're doing the right thing being here - and I'm excited to keep going and hopefully helping more and more people, and of course with Debby through all of it ❤️
Thanks for all you do for us in the community!
When you mentioned half drunk glasses everywhere i felt so called out 😂
No diagnosis. If it were easy to get one, I would. When I see videos on ADD I think, yup that’s it. When I see videos on autism I think, yup that’s it.
My son is definitely ASD. He was assessed before the DSM changed and the result was “there are some indications of autism but he doesn’t meet the criteria”. He was also found to have no working memory 😂 (no, just very poor). He wasn’t sent for a diagnosis of autism so some things might well have been missed (like the spinning as a toddler, no interest in stuffies just things that rolled and spun and bedtime was a military operation that never varied. Same books, songs, stories…
My daughter was diagnosed as ADHD (inattentive) after she started showing up at school around recess. They’d phone me at work. I told them to stop phoning. She won’t answer the phone and I can’t do anything.
So… my ADHD brain creates messes my Autistic brain can’t handle. My ADHD brain chats and story tells long complicated stories to strangers. My autistic brain just wants to stay home with the dogs and cat.
Totally. Me too. And my husband is the one with basically no working memory. Not just selective. But everything you said about yourself, is totally me. Both of my adult children are on the spectrum too. They have different challenges than me and from each other.
Then there's having both like I do. Sometimes I feel like a walking contradiction.
I have both. Got diagnosed at 30. Now a few years later I wish I was diagnosed as a kid. But back in the 90s they didn't know girls could have Autism. This video about having both helps explain my life. As a kid the school knew I had a learning disability but back then they had no name.
Cool
Ya convinced me I'm cycling between being ASD & ADHD...
I am so extremely grateful to have come across your channel. I really feel like I have "met" someone who has same sense of humour and similar stemmings as mine. Thank you for being you!!!
Thanks for such thoughtful information! I'd love a video that examined what traits are like for people with both ADHD and autism. Thanks!
I have both and the need for routine and consistency is at constant war with the need for novelty. It's actually really difficult to have both.
I’m floored by this and I totally fit in both categories. I’m so thrilled with all this amazing content that has helped me immensely. Learning and creating necessary changes to create better flow.
Thank you
Thank you SO much Chris! This helps a lot!
Thank you for this video and the link to the communication study.
Chris, your videos are best! This is so on the point.
After being told that I cannot be autistic because my social interactions are too good (while being completely exhausted, which I now know was, and still is, autistic burnout), I fell into the topic of autism again a week ago and am convinced now that I have both. At least, I already got the ADHD diagnosis half a year ago.
Oh if you only knew how much the last few seconds of this video rocked it for me, Chris!!! Another ace in the hole... fun, great content and as per usual - learning more about myself through your kindness, humor and wit. Means so much too our community. Please keep it up - just continue to focus on your self care too
This has opened my eyes to the differences in both. I always thought it was autism but adhd sounds more like me after watching. Thank you so much.
I have both. I feel that if this was a gameshow, I would get double prize money.
This was really interesting, thank you.
Wow this was very helpful thanks!
Great video! Thank you for sharing! Take care!😀
I picture Chris rage quitting trying to find his glasses and feeling his way to the bathroom. 😆
...and then seeing them on your head in the mirror.
Have both (AuDHD). They work off of each other, in a few ways. The ADHD is far worse than the autism, in my experience.
I often feel that my ADHD undermines autistic traits I actually like. I would have liked to have been an engineer but for the damned ADHD. Leaning into the ADHD does allow me to be more socially fearless but then I have to live with whatever tumbled impulsively out of my mouth.
Excellent & humorous content, again 🎯🪙💥
Great vid. Would love a breakdown of what's it's like when you have both, as I feel like this has it's own unique features
That was great, thanks.
It's frustrating when im hyper focused and someone just ruins it. It feels painful to be pulled from my hyper fixation
It makes me so happy to see people doing weird things freely, with no shame. This has gotten me many odd looks in the past, but I don’t care. Also, I think you’re a great singer, and dancer.🤓😂💙
I love these videos it's so informative :)!
I've been masking for most of my 68 years but seem to have many symptoms including trauma. My best discovery is self inquiry associated with not duality.
I'd love to see s video about combined Autism and ADHD traits. I have both and, while some things can be attributed to one or the other, there are some things that seem to be a product of the two - apparently contradictory - brains working at the same time. You said in this video that you have ADHD as well as being Autistic, so what sorts of things do you experience that seem to be product of both together?
Super interesting video, thank you:) I think it's more interesting when you make it personal though...I personally find it much more relatable. Your educational approach is concise and easy to understand though...I wonder if you distinguished your personal anecdote videos from your educational videos by making the educational ones animated, or having some distinguishing title...
Would love to see a video talking about how someone who has both ADhD and Autism may function. I, myself, have an older Dx of ADD and yet relate to many of the Autismn traits as well.
I have AuDHD and my ADHD is really good at hiding my autism. Sometimes when I take my adhd medication I feel like it makes my autism symptoms worsen/ become more noticeable. I’m grateful I have adhd because everytime I get too overstimulated my adhd likes to make me zone out and make me think about my special interests, it also makes me sometimes want to change routine so I’m not following the same one all the time.
Autistic ADHD here. Later diagnosed, off course. It's a full time job.
Having both is like keeping your space cluttered, but getting furious when someone cleans it up because things aren’t where you left them.
Great vid! 😀
I have ADHD and think I might have autism too. I also think that both disorders have mostly the same causes and might become a single diagnosis (ADHD added to ASD or both combined under something Monotropism- based).
Monotropism is basically a lessened ability to spread one's awareness or focus to multiple things at once, BUT increased focus on one or few things, which means more easily recognizing detail.
In the video, in the part about focus, the description for both ADHD and ASD sounded very similar, which is in concordance with my current understanding of the two, EXCEPT the tunnel vision, and not reacting to your name or taps on the shoulder.
As far as I know, I've never experienced the shoulder tapping thing, and not reacting to my name when focussed is rare, but I do forget about and unknowingly ignore my bodily needs, especially food, because I don't notice the hunger and the thought of food doesn't cross my mind for hours.
But I think the difficulties in focussing have the same cause in both cases: It's hard to ignore the surroundings and take all your focus from them onto your task, and when you do it's hard to take your focus off the task. That goes for both ADHD and ASD.
Any thoughts on the similarities of focus between the two? Or anyone here with ADHD who gets tunnel vision, or someone with ASD who doesn't?
I'd love a video about how ADHD and autism present together. I was diagnosed with ADHD a couple years ago and the more I learn about neurodiversity the more I suspect I may be autistic, too, but I want more information before going to my care team with the suspicion.
Thanks for clearing some things up ! I am one of those rare occurences (at least I perceive it so) of an autistic person without ADD/ADHD (even if when I'm tired I tend to forget things like coffee I intended to drink after reheating after forgetting to drink it, found left in the microwave when I went to reheat another coffee I forgot to drink).
When I lived with someone with (suspected) both conditions, it was really hard to not get frustrated, angry, or distressed at what our mutual needs demanded : I needed things to be well organised with a special logic, mess cleared right away, and admin issues solved quickly and efficiently. My flatmate needed me to be flexible with organization and tolerant of mess, couldn't get focused on admin process but still needed to be provided with the framework that our autism allowed and both convinced our methods were the best. It didn't end very well even with shared interests, values and common goals, even more so because my flatmate was also my younger sister and so we had a sometimes traumatic shared past. If I do live with someone again one day (which I am not willing to do), I know it cannot be with someone with ADD/ADHD ever again, it was too anxiety-inducing. I have one friend right now (you know how hard it is to make friends when you're autistic) who's both autistic and (highly suspected) ADHD, and we get along great but we know we could not tolerate each other in close daily quarters like a home.
So I think (at least for people as rigid as myself), autistics and ADHD/ADD/AuDHD make great friends yes, great flatmates hell no. I can't tell for autistics/ADD/ADHD/AuDHD couples but I suspect it's the same.
I have both.
Just on the thumbnail real quick: I think the rainbow infinity is supposed to be neurodiversity as a whole, while the gold (au) infinity is autism. I do like the stylized rainbow infinity butterfly though for ADHD.
Thanx for the on point explanation! I have a late in life diagnosis of both and I tend to struggle with antagonistic needs...like my autistic half needs structure but my adhd half just can’t follow up and destroys the well built structure mostly! That’s pretty annoying and oftentimes leads to frustration and self-flagellation...what leads to the feeling that I really lack self-efficacy...what in itself is not very efficient somehow 🤔🙄😆😉
THE HALF DRUNK GLASSES! Omg. The longer I think back on symptoms the more I find, but this is one my mom was always after me about!
I have both and its like i have 2 brains that are fighting one another 😅
I love your videos! ❤
On the focus I am closer to the autism side but also adhd focus problems too.
Good video, but us adhders need 5 videos for all this info. Instagram reels for each point.
I often wonder if I have both and this video has convinced me to get autism testing. I am diagnosed with ADHD but I also have soooo many of the autism criteria but just in different ways.
I have two pair of eyeglasses. I really don't like the second pair, but need them to find my favorite pair on occasion. I always keep the second pair in the same place for such needs. Suspecting I have both ADHD and Autism, my life fluctuates between organized and chaotic. I am having a hard time dealing with this. I never feel both at the same time. Most days it seems Au with a dose of depression. On my better days I feel ADHD, but start too many tasks and then cannot finish leading back to Au and depression.
Hyper focus is a thing in ADHD as well. But ADHD dont usually have a special interest over very long periods of time
Half drunk glasses spread all over the house.....
This one really got me!
😂😂
I'm diagnosed as both, and this is pretty accurate. I feel like though my autistic brain takes over and dominates more often, especially communicating and organizing.
I have both! And now I got distracted by the outro and forgot what else I wanted to write. Oh yeah - I'm really good at reading body language and non-verbal cues, but absolutely terrible with verbal communication and figuring out how I'm expected to respond.
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 25. Now at 46, diagnosed with Autism. I suspect ADHD was a misdiagnosis, but then my Autism probably wasn't even recognised by DSM back then, so ADHD may have been the nearest diagnosis at the time.
Why did you completely skip over ADHD hyperfocus? A HUGE part of many ADHD people's lives, mine included
Me too!
Excellent video. I would love to hear about the experience of Audhd aka both. Curious to compare my experiences to others'. Ty
As the ADHD wife to an autistic husband: the biggest difference I see between us is communication styles. He's very bad at expressing what he wants. I'm good at expressing what I want, but I tend to be "fuzzier" in my meanings. More likely to use figures of speech or speak poetically or talk around something, and dropping hints that go completely over his head because he takes the hints at face value. He often has this poker face going and a tone of voice like Dooley from King of the Hill that I often read as hostile when he's not actually being hostile.
Thank you! Cleared up somethings for me. Clearly don't have autism, just a whole lotta adhd
Thank you for this most informative video! I would like to understand better how to recognize I am trying to communicate with someone with ADHD or Autism, as opposed to someone who has no interest in what I'm saying?
Definitely I have both
5:43. The glasses. This became such a problem in my world that I keep two pairs of glasses. The one pair stays in the same location all the time. I use this old pair to find the pair I lost or wear to do immediate tasks that require me seeing well (vacuuming, washing dishes) if my regular glasses are missing or in the worst case, i can use the old pair to go to work until the good pair of glasses reappear
Attention deficit people sometimes have superfocus as well, then just don't have control over what they hyper focus on. It's like someone else is holding the remote.
I recall reading books as a child and my brother yelling at me and I had no idea it happened. He was so frustrated with me.
I tried to join chat groups for Autism, and I simply can't fit in, and ultimately get thrown out. Thanks MDD.
Hello, Chris!
Sorry this is all over the place :)
I've been binge watching your videos. I relate to all of them. I took the RAADS-R self-test, which I read isn't very accurate. I scored 165.
I'm hoping my new therapist will arrange for ASD testing, as it really has always felt like I have two different people in me in constant conflict with each other. I was diagnosed two years ago with D.I.D. but the challenges I struggle with daily are separate from IFS parts.
I resonate strongly with ALL of these you mention for both Autism and ADHD. I'm 62 and was diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago by my EMDR therapist (was seeing her for 3.5 yrs to process childhood trauma - C-PTSD diagnosis as well, since my late 20s). She concluded I was misdiagnosed with BPD (I was taking psych meds for 20 yrs that I didn't need).
I lost her as a therapist last week. We had a really strong bond. Couldn't even say goodbye. She's on indefinite medical leave. I start with a new therapist, whom I've never met, next Tues, at a new counseling office.
My mind seemed to handle the news okay, knowing this is just part of life (didn't feel abandoned but definitely felt the loss) but my entire system has been one raw nerve since. Super reactive, irritable, and extreme sensory sensitivity, oscillating between full blown rages to complete shut downs. My regular self-regulation stuff isn't helping much. I had to cancel several appointments cuz I didn't feel safe to be around people.
Anyway, thanks so much to you and Debby. Your videos are really helping me to understand why I've felt like a misfit all my life 🙋♀️💖
I'd just decided to try to become an entrepreneur and leave behind my 16 yr safety net of SSDI with the intention to move to a new state next Spring.
This sounds rough :( So sorry to hear your story. Good luck with your new therapist and moving
@@lg3rm553 Thank you! 💖🙋♀️
Barbara, I was also given BPD drugs a number of years ago, messed me up. Still trying to find balance, but at least now not burning the candle from both ends. Good luck.
@@HansSchulze Thank you! I hope you find balance. Good luck to you as well 💖🙋♀️
I got my first pair of glasses in first grade. I remember I had only had them a few days, when I realized I had no idea where they were, and there were only a few minutes left before yhe school day ended and I would need to het n the right bus and go home. PANIC! MUCH!! When my teacher realized what I was looking for, she held me still, and pushed my glasses off the top of my head back on my face !
I'm starting to think I also have adhd😮
I'm autistic and my sister has very noticeable traits of ADHD (I can't diagnose her tho of course) learning about ADHD and how an ADHD brain works helps me to be more understanding
I have both ADHD and Autism. I was just diagnosed at 62. Ahh, now I understand why I am so unhappy with my cluttered surroundings! Yet it is so frustrating trying to organise. How does anyone deal with this successfully?
I got a little lost at farting the abcs to be honest
I have difficulty getting my head around how someone can be both autistic and ADHD because they are so opposite. Don't they end up cancelling each other out so you appear 'normal' whatever normal is? I like to think of it as Autistic = cat, ADHD = dog. So does that mean AuDHD = fox?
I have both but I lean more towards the Autism.
I’m both Autistic & ADHD, & one thing that really helps me with the absent-mindedness is developing general “rules” that become so ingrained that even my autopilot brain will follow them (usually 😭). Just because it’s habit, or often muscle memory.
The most common, & most ingrained, is to make a point of being mindful about when & where I set certain items down.
For example, when I’m working on a project that involves heavy use of a tool that I also need to put down frequently, like a box cutter or a marker (or the remote 😂), I will make sure to *only* ever put it inside a specific pocket on my person, or on a designated putting-down spot.
Haha maybe that’s just the Autistic part of my brain, but it’s definitely helped me cut down on forgetting where I put things 😝
AuDHD, had to rewind a few times to get everything. I find that i got lost a few times by wording sequence, and references to ASD vs ADHD getting mixed. Not a good day for greymatter despite long sleep.