Anyone with autism NOT have ADHD?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't have ADHD but I have PDD-NOS. It seems like ADHD is common in autism, but I don't have it. I could see myself having the hyperactive part but not the attention deficit part.

I have some of the symptoms (impulsivity) but don't seem to have enough for a diagnosis.

If you consider me to be autistic, then yes. There's no way in hell I could have ADHD.

I'm also autistic and I don't have ADHD.

I am autistic, and I don't have ADHD.

Setting me aside as I have both, I know two autistic boys who definitely do not have ADHD.

I have ADD, but not ADHD.

I think the parts of the brain that determine whether or not you are on the spectrum and whether or not you have ADD/ADHD are so close together that the two conditions are often seen together.

Tangent Alert: I had hypoxia as a fetus. I was going to be a lefty- so the right side of my brain was dominant. Unfortunately, a lack of oxygen caused me to develop NVLD and ADD. People develop ADD first, and then NVLD. If I was going to be a righty (and so the left side of the brain would be dominant), I would have ADD and dyslexia. That's why many kids with ADHD are also dyslexic.

I was originally diagnosed with ADHD instead of AS, but I'm autistic and I don't have ADHD.

Off topic jpr, but would being a blue baby cause ADDS or Autism? I am thinking it would. I seem to have had the symptions of both, although I am much better now.

Sorry if this is wrong but does blue baby mean you didn't get enough oxygen when you were born? 30-50% of people with autism had some type of complication during birth such as not being able to breath. And 75% of people with aspergers could qualify for an ADD (or ADHD) diagnosis. But technically going by the DSM-IV you cannot have both

When my psych gave me my AS diagnosis, he said I have many qualities of ADD, but not enough for a diagnosis. I don't have any of the hyperactivity symptoms that would suggest ADHD.

I don't have ADHD, or ADD, or PDD-NOS. I am not hyper, and I can focus my attention on things that are of interest to me. If it is not of interest, I do have a problem, but that's not enough to qualify as ADD. I fit Asperger's Syndrome, so I don't need the more vague PDD-NOS designation. Based on recent research I also absolutely have AvPD comorbid with my Asperger's, and I am pretty sure I also have Executive Function Disorder comorbid with it, too.

yup, me too

We can't say "cause", because we don't know that yet. We know there's a big genetic factor and we know that birth complications are somewhat more common for autistics; but where the cause is and where the effect is, is anybody's guess. It could be that the same genes that create an autistic baby also make you more vulnerable to prenatal/birth complications. Could be that some of the same things cause genetic glitches and prenatal/birth complications.

Brain damage from hypoxia, that early on, is associated with cerebral palsy (though usually with CP it happens before birth). Also with developmental delay and ADHD. The association with autism is weak.

My personal (untested) theory is that there's something about diffuse hypoxic brain damage that makes it harder for the brain to create those global, long-distance NT-style connections, which leads to generally having more scattered skills, which is associated with autism, ADHD, and lots of odd learning styles and cognitive disabilities as well as things like savant syndrome.

But that early on, you have such a lot of plasticity that it's highly likely that you had no long-term effects at all. Your brain just casually repaired itself and you went on with your life none the worse for wear.

I don't have ADHD. I have OCD, but that's completely different.

I do not have ADHD.

Im not ADD but I do have issues with focus and attention. I cant block out irrelevent background noise/visuals to focus on the relevent noise/visuals and am always getting distracted by things and cant focus my brain on things it doesnt want to focus on.