I've been diagnosed with ADHD!

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Congratulations! I have dual diagnosis ASD and inattentive-type ADHD (what used to be called ADD) too. A combo of Adderall and Intuniv has been life changing in a lot of ways for me though I still struggle a lot socially. I hope you get the treatment you need that works for you!

I want to disclose it on Facebook but I'm scared some relatives who know I have Asperger's might mention Asperger's in the comments or something.

Why is that frightening?

Because I don't want people knowing I'm on the autism spectrum. ADHD has less stigma than autism. I prefer to keep ASD to myself, and have people understand the ADHD part of me instead. Autism is more misleading and makes me feel inferior.

It's bad enough all my relatives know I have ASD because I was only 8 years old when I was diagnosed with that so it was out of my control who got told. But the last thing I want is for it to let slip on Facebook.

Maybe you could say something like "this is a part of my experience that is significant and that I would like to share..." implying to those relatives that you don't want to share other parts?

What a bummer for us: to keep our ASD in the closet. I get it, and it hurts. My evaluator implied my GAD (anxiety) diagnosis was so I could share that in the workplace if needed, as opposed to my ASD diagnosis. I was all naive, "huh, why would I need to do that?" Sigh.

It's "hip" to have ADHD --- see YouTube Holderness Family frequent t-shirt. My BFF gave me an ASD t-shirt and I do wear it, but not on social media.

The 'ADHD is awesome' T-shirt was sold out.

I quit facebook for that very reason, Mom was the worst offender of posting stuff I didn't want my co-workers to know.

Have you change meds yet? Any difference?

I'm not sure I want to change meds, at least not yet.

I've just read through my ADHD assessment sheets that I received in the mail today. Most of it was right but some of it looked exaggerated, unless all assessments involve some behaviours being a little exaggerated?

I do feel a little pissed that it said I still have Asperger's, although it said I show both ADHD and Asperger's but they both overlap. They also suggested I may have learning difficulties, which I didn't know could be present in people diagnosed with Asperger's. My difficulties explaining things, remembering directions and routes, containing information and facts, and any math-related concepts, suggests I have some underlying learning difficulties, which probably explains why I've always got along and understood others with learning difficulties or low IQs. I hoped the learning difficulties would cancel out the Asperger's diagnosis.

Good on you, Joe. I know you've waited a long time for this. If it were me, I wouldn't tell anyone on Facebook. Just too risky.

What type of ADHD do you have? I have inattentive type and I took dexamphetamine since 2004. They worked very well for me. Now I take Vyvanse which is long-acting dexamphetamine. It's great because I only have to take one pill in the morning and it lasts all day.

That's interesting about learning difficulties. Your written expression is excellent. I like to read your posts because they're always so clear. But that's not everything, I gather.

Anyway, congratulations!

I can understand why you would like to get rid of the aspie label from the other thread. I think the IQ slider was pushed in the wrong direction when I was hatched. I don't do well with verbal instructions, short term memory, and providing instructions to someone. I was also a late speaker. My biggest beef in the deal is when I went to psychotherapy, Aspergers was just being re-discovered but by that time, I had already given up on therapy.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood. ~ Tom Robbins

The ADHD stuff I only know by observing others.

But yes, an Aspie can have trouble learning stuff in school. Even an Aspie who joins Mensa. I did.

First, I had a very poor rote memory. What I could remember were abstract concepts and how things worked—but only if the topic interested me. (And I did not get to choose what interested me.)

Second, I was slow. I might be able to do more difficult work than the other students but I would be slower than them. They could do the easy routine stuff faster than I could.

I remember in junior school I struggled to take in what the teacher was saying. The other children knew what to write down, and I had no idea what the hell we were doing.

I remember one time at high school the Phys Ed teacher was explaining what we were going to be playing in the gym, and my mind wandered off, like "I must remember to hand that science homework in....I wonder if James likes me?...I'd like to climb high on those ropes up there someday...I wonder how long this school has been here?...I hope my grandmother is feeling better now...I really fancy a cake right now, maybe I'll buy one for lunch...I think I need to sneeze..." and all the while the Phys Ed teacher had been explaining what we're going to be doing, and I just managed to catch the last bit "...so get into your teams and start the game like how I said". I stood there like "oh God, I don't know what we're playing!" Then I found myself being yelled at by the other kids because I wasn't playing the game properly. That's the main reason why I hated Phys Ed at school. Some of the kids forgot it was only a lesson and they treated it like they were in the national England team for whatever sport we were playing.

In class I usually found myself copying from the person sitting next to me. Sometimes they would scowl and cover up their work, other times they were willing to help me keep up.
I remember when I was 6 I sat at my desk daydreaming for ages, with my chin resting on my left hand and my right hand just holding the pencil on the paper with an unfinished piece of writing, and I was just staring at the wall for ages, daydreaming rather vividly. Then all of a sudden I had the teacher leaning over my shoulder growling angrily in my ear threatening to make me go into the nursery class to finish my work. I burst into tears because I panicked that I hadn't finished my writing. I didn't mean to daydream, but it was something that frequently occurred but the teachers somehow didn't seem to pick up on.

Yeah, all of this sounds like inattentive-style ADHD, what used to be called ADD. And learning disabilities actually often co-appear with either ASD or ADHD diagnoses, though I think researchers still don't know why. A learning disability is not the same thing as low IQ or not being "smart" - examples are all the brilliant people throughout history who have had dyslexia, which is a learning disability.

Like Double Retired, I'm also an aspie and a member of MENSA. I've never been tested for a learning disability but I know I have deficits in some areas that autism can't explain and Adderall hasn't helped. So you're not alone!

Have you tried browsing the articles at https://www.additudemag.com ? They're a great resource, mostly focusing on ADHD but they also have stuff on asperger's/autism and learning disabilities and other stuff, too, and my doctor confirmed they're a safe site with accurate information that can be trusted, which of course isn't always the case on the internet. Here's an article about co-occurring ADHD and learning disabilities: https://www.additudemag.com/how-adhd-in ... abilities/

Best of luck as you explore all the new information you've been given through testing.

That's great. Now you know for sure and you have something that you can identify with.

I'm glad that you feel like your making progress.
For me, I started with and ADHD diagnosis (formal) and then came the informal ASP spectrum which my health care provider would NOT assign as she felt like it would not be to my benefit to do so. But I am definitely ASP.

I have the many-and-racing-thoughts type of ADHD or something similar (I didn't receive an ADHD diagnosis). I found this video yesterday that I relate to and liked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSnHCDAdCU

This happens to me many times a day. I think I can remember a simple request, but if I don't have a visual or create a mnemonic, I will forget 4 out of 5 times (or more). Yesterday I found a household item I had been looking for for weeks (b/c it doesn't have a place that it "lives"). I was thrilled to find it!! I lost it within 15 minutes. It's two-feet long and I lost it. I kid you not. Well, at least I'll be happy again when I find it... again (in the meantime - frustrating!).

I have very superior intelligence and yet I was recently diagnosed with significant learning disabilities (reading, verbal) such that I can appear or perform average (or less). I have a hard time responding immediately in conversation - usually b/c I have a million thoughts and can't sort through them for the appropriate one. Although my visual memory and memory for my interests are superior, I forget common things (that would help me relate to others better). Some people can see past my outward appearances to the trove inside and others can't. Similar to when you were in class daydreaming.

I have both hyperactive type and inattentive type, by the way.

I'm glad I've finally found the reason I find employment hard, and it's because of having to focus on repetitive tasks for long periods of time. Don't get me wrong, I like my job, but sometimes it can get very repetitive which is mentally draining. I sometimes wish I could work in a group, not really knowing what task you're going to be doing next, but still in one environment. Like in a busy kitchen.
But I do like my job cleaning coaches. It's just that it can get repetitive and lonely sometimes. I might think of getting trained to fuel the coaches, as there's a few co-workers that work together doing that and it sounds like they're always having a laugh together. Working around people can make a repetitive job feel less repetitive.