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maybe I don't have ADHD

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colliegrace
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14 Jul 2023, 3:03 am

Initially was diagnosed with ADHD in 2018/19 due to severe struggles with executive dysfunction. I had my doubts at the time. Eventually accepted the diagnosis in 2021/2022ish. What else could explain my issues?

Now that I'm diagnosed with autism, I'm wondering if I have ADHD or not again. Autism comes with executive dysfunction as well.

Mainly, I don't think my memory issues are bad enough to warrant an ADHD diagnosis.


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ASD, most likely have dyscalculia & BPD as well. Also dx'd ADHD-C, but don't think it's accurate.
RAADs: 104 | ASQ: 30 | Aspie Quiz: 116/200 (84% probability of being atypical)

Also diagnosed with: seasonal depression, anxiety, OCD


MatchboxVagabond
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14 Jul 2023, 12:35 pm

colliegrace wrote:
Initially was diagnosed with ADHD in 2018/19 due to severe struggles with executive dysfunction. I had my doubts at the time. Eventually accepted the diagnosis in 2021/2022ish. What else could explain my issues?

Now that I'm diagnosed with autism, I'm wondering if I have ADHD or not again. Autism comes with executive dysfunction as well.

Mainly, I don't think my memory issues are bad enough to warrant an ADHD diagnosis.

It remains to be seen if ADHD is really a separate condition or just a specific presentation of ASD.

Really, it comes down to whether or not you need ADHD specific help to live your best life. Both anxiety and sensory integration issues could also cause similar issues.

But really, if you don't need ADHD medication, it's probably not important as the stuff that helps ASD will probably help ADHD as well.



IsabellaLinton
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14 Jul 2023, 12:44 pm

What does your ADHD report say? Did they give you a score for memory?

I was dx ASD before I went for ADHD testing. They eliminated quite a few of the ADHD tests so I wouldn't be repeating things that were already tested with ASD but there were still a lot of tests which were ADHD-specific. In fact my ADHD testing was over 20 hours vs only 12 for ASD.

I can't tell which is which in my daily life since they're so intertwined, but my two ADHD meds combined seem to help (a stimulant and a non-stimulant.)

Are you on meds?


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colliegrace
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14 Jul 2023, 2:55 pm

Well, that's the thing. My ADHD diagnosis was done without much actual footwork. They just heard me out and was like "yeah, let's put you down for ADHD". (State-funded clinic.)
I am on non-stim meds and they do seem to help with my attention span?? But they don't do much for executive functioning.

My autism diagnosis was much more thorough and I was working with an expert in the field.


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ASD, most likely have dyscalculia & BPD as well. Also dx'd ADHD-C, but don't think it's accurate.
RAADs: 104 | ASQ: 30 | Aspie Quiz: 116/200 (84% probability of being atypical)

Also diagnosed with: seasonal depression, anxiety, OCD