So, are you hyper-focused one minute, and on a different planet the next? Reading a room with precision, whilst being confused by the unspoken rules?
Well, this sounds like a blend of ADHD and autism – a combination often called AuDHD.
Life with AuDHD can be challenging, but understanding what it really means can help you to navigate it.
AuDHD refers to meeting the diagnostic criteria for both autism and ADHD. They overlap often because many autistic people can also meet ADHD criteria, and many adults diagnosed with ADHD later discover they’re autistic.
Their childhood traits were often unnoticed, leading them to only recognise the pattern later in life.
The Core Differences
Let’s see how the traits interact with each other.
Autism can bring a preference for routine, sensory sensitivities, and strong interests.
ADHD can bring trouble with sustained attention, impulsivity, and difficulty finishing tasks.
With both, you might crave routine but forget it often, or want predictability yet seek novelty.
Common Experiences
- Executive function push-pull: you make detailed plans but don’t follow through.
- Sensory contradictions: you’re overstimulated by noise yet crave intense sensory input.
- Hyperfocus vs inattention: you deep dive into interests but struggle with boring tasks.
- Social exhaustion: you understand expectations but find them draining.
- Emotional intensity: you experience strong feelings with heightened sensitivity to rejection.
- Daily fatigue: managing these traits can create cycles of burnout.
Moving Forward
Fun fact? AuDHD can make you creative, capable of deep focus, and give you a huge dedication to meaningful work.
Understanding your AuDHD traits is about building systems that suit your brain.
You don’t need to change who you are. You need to support how you function, and you’ll thrive.