I'm confused by ADHD in relation to AS

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My 5 yr old son was diagnosed as PDD-NOS/possible AS when he was 2.5 I could definitely tell that he had trouble focusing on new tasks and things that I was trying to show him. At 4, the school did an ADHD evaluation as well, and said that he had those traits as well. He is impulsive, has trouble paying attention in class, talks at inappropriate times, and makes inappropriate noises. He also flaps his hands and shakes his head back and forth. He is fully verbal, although some of his words and thoughts do not make sense. He is very social with adults, but has little to no interest in his peers. His "special intrerests" are car makes and models and churches. If it wasn't for the special interests, I would feel more like he had ADHD. It is funny though, he loves to draw, and he can sit for 2 hours at a time and draw. So, it is very confusing. I am sure he is on the spectrum, but right now, his ADHD seems to be the biggest challenge.

I'm confused too, as I recall reading somewhere on here before that because of the overlap between ADHD and ASD, that one cannot be diagnosed with both. From a certain direction, it seems like Asperger's is like a whole bunch of mild disorders clustered together with social delay.

I am probably imagining things, but I'll throw that out there.

I'm diagnosed with both Asperger's and ADHD, and no, they don't necessarily contradict each other. ADHD has been more of a problem for me academically, whereas Asperger's presents more problems socially. In a practical sense, ADHD is more useful to diagnose because it can be treated with medications. It sounds like you don't have it, so consider yourself lucky. But for those who do it's important to get that diagnosed.

That does sound like both - Not an expert opinion, but an educated guess from personal experience. ADHD can seem to be the biggest challenge, as the consequences are obvious (poor grades and study habits, impulsive decisions...) But I'd suggest keeping a close eye on his social development and how it may relate to AS. That can become the far greater challenge later in life (again, speaking from personal experience.)

If dreams would count I'd have conquered the world in various disciplines ... because they don't, I'm far from living up to my full potential. I get maths, for example, but only if there's a teacher or tutor who gives me the exercises needed and gives me a general feeling that it's maths time now, and not dream about something time.


Still. It seems that the concentration problems in ASD and ADD are caused from 'executive dysfunction', or late/weak development in the part of the prefrontal cortex that is associated with decision-making, working memory, planning and related tasks. I am not sure about ADD patients, but in one study was shown that the deployment of grey matter in that area was different in young male ASD patients compared to their control group.


Funnily enough I used to have major impulse control problems together with the still present issues with concentration, working memory, filtering of information for the essential bits, planning complex tasks ...
The impulse control matured. The other parts didn't.

I think the reason why ADHD and AS seem to be related is because autism affects executive function which affects your attention span. This is why so many people with autism may be given an initial/seperate diagnosis of ADHD before/while being diagnosed as autistic.

Also, ADHD affects the attention in many different ways. They're not always hyperactive or impulsive. Some ADDers are hyperfocussed (just like many of us autistics) for example.

I think I'm similar to you on focussing on something for ages. I either can only fous on that thing and not anything else (so I sort of have selective hearing, I guess) or I get overwhelmed by all the stimuli around me (if I am forced to keep my attention on several things at once). I don't have ADHD but, damn, executive dysfunction sucks at times.

When I was 9 to 11, I'm pretty sure I had my whole grade convinced that I had ADHD. I personally am pretty sure I have AS, and will seek a Dx starting next year. But, back then I was pretty hopeless socially. I'd given up trying to act 'normal' as it was too much of a hassle. But, I had to have some way to act, to know who I was. So, I pretty much acted like I had ADHD. Even though at that time, I had no clue what that was.

I clearly have all the characteristics of ADD-Inattentive but I'm curious as to how that would affect me socially. How does that account for my difficulty (formerly inability) with eye contact and depersonalization and a difficulty with knowing how to approach people and how to sustain a conversation and how to know if someone is being sincere and etc etc. I don't see how they can say they can't co-exist.

I could be wrong, but I think the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder - Mixed (or Combined) is the most common (the association of ADHD with "hyperactivity" is largely a stereotype).

I am diagnosed with Asperger and ADD but there was a remark about the ADD being masked by the prominent ASD. Same with the tic disorder I have. Sometimes it is not clear which is which.

From what I have read, children with ADHD have social problems because they are impulsive and disruptive, and can be aggressive. They are constantly being called out by teachers to stop doing things, so the other children can be distracted too. After being around these children all of the time, the other kids really don't want to interact with them. I don't know if this applies to adults, but maybe the experiences you have as a kid begin to shape you later on.

I can see that, but it wouldn't pertain to me personally. I was extremely withdrawn and spent much of the time staring out the window. I was placed in therapy and my parents were told I was "maladjusted".This would have been in the 60's. ADD-PI I think was not detected exactly because of the lack of disruption. Of course, when I was in primary school things such as ADHD for anyone was unheard of. You were simply a bad kid or lazy.

I know this is an old thread revived, but it seems worth noting, for those reading it and posting now.

People with ADHD, or at least some of them, so sometimes hyperfocus. Being able to stay focused for a long time on something one is interested in does not mean you don't have ADHD.

Hi Aimless-

The other thing I have learned from my reading is that since children with ASD tend to have problems with joint attention, it could have something to do with the fact that you weren't picking up on social cues from your parents. Most children even as babies start to pick up social cues very naturally just from watching their parents, siblings and other caregivers faces and body language. I am definitely not an expert, just a parent who has read a lot on ASD's, so take everything I say with a grain of salt!

Also, from my understanding, if you have ADD, doesn't that make you more prone to daydreaming or zoning out? Maybe this was a cause for some of the social problems?

Good points and it makes you wonder how they can differentiate clearly between an ASD and ADD. They seem to share so much.

I know. If it wasn't for my son's "special interests"----I would say that he mostly has ADHD. He does have strange language patterns too though, so that sends me back to AS. I just think I am going to go with the idea that he definitely has both!