Aspergers and ADHD

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Oh, btw, ADHD does not share hyperfocus, it detracts from it. Asperger's has the hyperfocus.

Hmmm...I'd have to disagree. I have AS and no diagnosed ADHD but it's so difficult to be productive! Yes, I can focus, but only on a few specific things, so hyperfocus is of no use at all when it comes to schoolwork etc.

You are quite mistaken...

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/612.html

Here's an excerpt:

What you might not know about ADHD is that there's another side: the tendency for children and adults with attention deficit disorder to focus very intently on things that do interest them. At times, the focus is so strong that they become oblivious to the world around them.

For children, the object of "hyperfocus" might be playing a video game or watching TV. For adults, it might be shopping or surfing the Internet. But whatever holds the attention, the result is the same: Unless something or someone interrupts, hours drift by as important tasks and relationships fall by the wayside. "People who think ADD means having a short attention span misunderstand what ADD is," says Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., a psychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the author of ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. "A better way to look at it is that people with ADD have a disregulated attention system."

Hyperfocus does exist in ADHD but rarely is it put to good use when unmedicated.

I find that on medication I want to do the most important tasks first, although it does decrease the time I spend on each thing because it takes away my obsessional behaviour (like needing special interests). I've started to get back into creative writing and my meds are helping though wearing off after a few hours. I'm on a small dose of Ritalin. When I was on a higher but average adult dose I was writing chapter after chapter but then I started to lose weight and had complications. The meds still have a risk to them but I need medication to focus and at times do simple cleaning tasks and they control my behaviour (moods).

I basically live by a to-do list and my routines though I relax this on the weekends when I don't take my meds so I don't build up a tolerance to them. On the weekends I'm more hyperfocused on the things I want to do that may not necessarily be important as far as productivity is concerned.

Now to answer the original question. Both my autism (which is classic mod/hfa) and combined ADHD as well as epilepsy (even my PMDD) can greatly affect me so I'm less independent. My sensory issues are severe and a small group of people could set me off so I avoid social situations or try to escape them by going to my own imagination land in my mind. I don't much care about the opinion of others too and would rather ignore them than have to deal with how angry they make me feel.
I feel that I can be at times organised and productive but in my own ways, not in the way that makes people think 'oh, she's doing well for herself.' I don't work, overload in supermarkets, have barely a social life so people don't think I do much with my life. But I feel like I'm accomplishing some things.

Hi pensieve. Thank you for the words, information, and personal experience. I didn't realize I was reviving a thread that's been dead for almost two years when I replied initially. Lol! I used the search function to find topics concerning the relationship/co-morbidity of AD/HD and ASD's. I'm Dx'ed with AS and now I suspect I probably have AD/HD as well. My daughter has it and my wife has been insisting for years that I have it. Now that she's divorcing me, it's making me take a harder look at myself and I think that I have consistently demonstrated many of the diagnostic criteria for AD/HD throughout my entire life. Perhaps I will take this concern up with my doctor. I've read that some of the more popular medications for AD/HD are not very effective for those of us on the Autism spectrum and that they sometimes even aggravate the symptoms. Was there a trial and error period for you with the different medications or have you only taken Ritalin? I'd be interested to hear more about your thoughts and experiences concerning this.