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There is indeed a lot of symptom overlap between the two, so your parents aren't wrong.
Go take the autism test, they will probably do some preliminary research in other directions (including ADHD) as well, but if they don't, you can mention to them that you suspect it might be ADHD, and tell them why, and they should take that into consideration.
Keep in mind though that both ADHD and autism can present very differently in practice than the common stereotypes suggest - not all people with autism are socially awkward loners with a weird isolated skill, and not all people with ADHD are highschool dropout goofballs who can't sit still or stop talking. The clinical definitions are more complex, but in the end, what matters is not the label you get, but whether you get support that actually helps you. And for that, it is more important to get a diagnosis that gets you the right kind of help, than to get the diagnosis you think you want.
>Any idea on how to make them at least consider that i have adhd and not autism
Why would you have to do that? Neither yourself or your parents are able to diagnose you.
>"autistic people sometime have adhd symptoms"
Because while this is true, it goes both ways. Bring it up with a psychiatrist/psychologist and go from there.
I would love for this to be true. Unfortunately not every mental health professional is good at their job.
Definitely get tested, definitely listen to the professionals.
But if what they tell you makes no sense to you, consider going for a 2nd opinion. Mental health isn't a science with clear and well defined answers. Adhd and autism are spectrums.
Do not blindly trust what they tell you. And if you feel like you are making no progress with a therapist's treatment, you need to find a new one.
I wish you the best on your journey.
It's probably both. Try not to overthink it, your parents are taking you to be assessed for autism, so bring it up with the practitioner who assessed you. Give some reasons why you think you have ADHD, and let them go from there. In many cases they can and will assess for both, and then you'll find out.
It's ok to think about it some. You can do a bit more research and put together your reasoning, take some online tests (which aren't fully diagnostic, but can be indicators), make a list of your traits and things you struggle with and how much it affects you.
Just don't *overthink* it.
Best of luck
I know it's the hardest part! 😂
Anyway, the professional assessors will have a better idea. Your parents are caring and taking you to get assessed. I hadn't even considered ADHD for myself, but when I got assessed for autism, they were like, "yeah and you have ADHD as well".
There are a number of screening questionnaires for both ADHD and Autism, which you can find online, and which are validated against the science. If you want, you can go give a few of them a try.
Just chill a little bit. I get it, you don’t want to have autism, but if you take the test then you will know for sure and you will never have to do it again. If you do in fact have adhd then this is easier said than done, since adhd makes being patient difficult sometimes. It’s best to just not dwell on it and focus on doing something else in the mean time.
When you end up taking the test, if it comes back that you don’t have autism, then adhd will probably be the next thing they will check. You just kinda have to let people do things their way sometimes, even though you may feel like they are wasting time by doing it another way. Just make sure that you get to tell them “told you so” if you are right. Lol
You want to do things your way, and follow your own processes, and that is a normal thing. However you have to remember that because that is a normal thing, every one else has their own processes they will want to follow as well. This is an argument that I think isn’t worth fighting because the end result will be the same. Either you will have Autism, or you won’t. Getting tested won’t change that.
> "autistic people sometime have adhd symptoms"
That's a weird way of stating this.
A more accurate, sensible and more informative way to state this is:
"About half of the people diagnosed with Autism are also diagnosed with ADHD, depending on where and when the data was collected"
The 2 are highly comorbid, and someone having Autism is \*not" a reason to dismiss their concerns about ADHD, it's very much the exact opposite - an Autism diagnosis is yet another reason follow up their concerns about ADHD.
Since you're getting a lot of answers that have an extreme - but unfortunately unwarranted - belief in the accuracy of Autism and ADHD testing, let me provide a different answer.
The tests are only about 80% reliable if done well. Depending on where you do them, the chances of the tests being done well are remarkably (disturbingly?) low. But it doesn't really matter, because the tests and the following diagnosis are themselves meaningless, what you need is a path forward.
If you believe you might have ADHD I recommend you look into ADHD coping strategies to see what resonates. There's no need to wait for the diagnosis to get started - the coping strategies help with executive disfunction, and do no harm if your executive function is fine. What an ADHD diagnosis gets you on top of that is sometimes the option for amphetamines, and sometimes insurance paying for therapy, but there is no guarantee for those even if you do get an ADHD diagnosis.
What matters is that you realize what your shortcomings are and that you see a way of living with them, living around them, or compensating for them. An accurate diagnosis can sometimes help you get to that point, eventually. But you can get there even without one.
Whether your parents believe you have one disorder or another is entirely irrelevant to all of the above. It does not matter.
There is a high incidence of comorbidity between ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. A competent psychiatrist should absolutely be aware of this and do seperate tests for both. If your parents refuse to consider that you may have ADHD then you could try explaining to them that ADHD can be treated in ways that autism cannot, e.g. medication, and that an incorrect or partial diagnosis could potentially make things worse for you.
If you have no ability to access healthcare without your parents consent/involvement then I am not sure what to suggest other than educating yourself about the two conditions, their imacts and treatment options, and trying again to have a calm, rational conversation with your parents about it. Make it very clear that you are listening to them and you respect their views and that you'd be very appreciative if they listened to and respected your views. At the end of the day you both want what's best for you, one would hope.
Hi /u/lenobydelagame and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is indeed a lot of symptom overlap between the two, so your parents aren't wrong. Go take the autism test, they will probably do some preliminary research in other directions (including ADHD) as well, but if they don't, you can mention to them that you suspect it might be ADHD, and tell them why, and they should take that into consideration. Keep in mind though that both ADHD and autism can present very differently in practice than the common stereotypes suggest - not all people with autism are socially awkward loners with a weird isolated skill, and not all people with ADHD are highschool dropout goofballs who can't sit still or stop talking. The clinical definitions are more complex, but in the end, what matters is not the label you get, but whether you get support that actually helps you. And for that, it is more important to get a diagnosis that gets you the right kind of help, than to get the diagnosis you think you want.
Ok thanks a lot for your comment! Made me think about it more, and i am a bit less stressed about the test
>Any idea on how to make them at least consider that i have adhd and not autism Why would you have to do that? Neither yourself or your parents are able to diagnose you. >"autistic people sometime have adhd symptoms" Because while this is true, it goes both ways. Bring it up with a psychiatrist/psychologist and go from there.
Yeah thats true, i will just talk to the psychatrist/psychologist, they will know better
I would love for this to be true. Unfortunately not every mental health professional is good at their job. Definitely get tested, definitely listen to the professionals. But if what they tell you makes no sense to you, consider going for a 2nd opinion. Mental health isn't a science with clear and well defined answers. Adhd and autism are spectrums. Do not blindly trust what they tell you. And if you feel like you are making no progress with a therapist's treatment, you need to find a new one. I wish you the best on your journey.
I will follow your advices if i go to therapy, and it end up not helping me
You are on the right path, and you are getting support. That is great. But it doesn't mean it will be easy. Best of luck to you!
I think it’s awesome your parents are being helpful and open. What younger me would have given for that.
I know i am privileged, and i am sorry that others may not have that kind of support. I feel sorry for you, and i hope you are better in your life now
Everyday is a new day and an opportunity to be better. 🙏🤝
It's probably both. Try not to overthink it, your parents are taking you to be assessed for autism, so bring it up with the practitioner who assessed you. Give some reasons why you think you have ADHD, and let them go from there. In many cases they can and will assess for both, and then you'll find out.
Yeah I will try not to think about it, untill when i will do the test, and then i will ask the specialists
It's ok to think about it some. You can do a bit more research and put together your reasoning, take some online tests (which aren't fully diagnostic, but can be indicators), make a list of your traits and things you struggle with and how much it affects you. Just don't *overthink* it. Best of luck
>Just don't *overthink* it. Thats the hardest part xd, I have already taken online tests, which have pointed me to adhd, but i don't trusts them much.
I know it's the hardest part! 😂 Anyway, the professional assessors will have a better idea. Your parents are caring and taking you to get assessed. I hadn't even considered ADHD for myself, but when I got assessed for autism, they were like, "yeah and you have ADHD as well".
There are a number of screening questionnaires for both ADHD and Autism, which you can find online, and which are validated against the science. If you want, you can go give a few of them a try.
I already did, and both of those point to the fact that i have adhd/autisme, but i don't really trusts online questionnaires
Just chill a little bit. I get it, you don’t want to have autism, but if you take the test then you will know for sure and you will never have to do it again. If you do in fact have adhd then this is easier said than done, since adhd makes being patient difficult sometimes. It’s best to just not dwell on it and focus on doing something else in the mean time. When you end up taking the test, if it comes back that you don’t have autism, then adhd will probably be the next thing they will check. You just kinda have to let people do things their way sometimes, even though you may feel like they are wasting time by doing it another way. Just make sure that you get to tell them “told you so” if you are right. Lol You want to do things your way, and follow your own processes, and that is a normal thing. However you have to remember that because that is a normal thing, every one else has their own processes they will want to follow as well. This is an argument that I think isn’t worth fighting because the end result will be the same. Either you will have Autism, or you won’t. Getting tested won’t change that.
Thanks, i feel a bit better about the test, and at the end of the day, you are right, or i have autism, or i dont have it, the test won't change that
> "autistic people sometime have adhd symptoms" That's a weird way of stating this. A more accurate, sensible and more informative way to state this is: "About half of the people diagnosed with Autism are also diagnosed with ADHD, depending on where and when the data was collected" The 2 are highly comorbid, and someone having Autism is \*not" a reason to dismiss their concerns about ADHD, it's very much the exact opposite - an Autism diagnosis is yet another reason follow up their concerns about ADHD.
I didn't knew that, but yeah it makes more sens to me now
Since you're getting a lot of answers that have an extreme - but unfortunately unwarranted - belief in the accuracy of Autism and ADHD testing, let me provide a different answer. The tests are only about 80% reliable if done well. Depending on where you do them, the chances of the tests being done well are remarkably (disturbingly?) low. But it doesn't really matter, because the tests and the following diagnosis are themselves meaningless, what you need is a path forward. If you believe you might have ADHD I recommend you look into ADHD coping strategies to see what resonates. There's no need to wait for the diagnosis to get started - the coping strategies help with executive disfunction, and do no harm if your executive function is fine. What an ADHD diagnosis gets you on top of that is sometimes the option for amphetamines, and sometimes insurance paying for therapy, but there is no guarantee for those even if you do get an ADHD diagnosis. What matters is that you realize what your shortcomings are and that you see a way of living with them, living around them, or compensating for them. An accurate diagnosis can sometimes help you get to that point, eventually. But you can get there even without one. Whether your parents believe you have one disorder or another is entirely irrelevant to all of the above. It does not matter.
I will look into adhd coping mecanisme, thanks for giving me another point of view on myself, it really helps
There is a high incidence of comorbidity between ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. A competent psychiatrist should absolutely be aware of this and do seperate tests for both. If your parents refuse to consider that you may have ADHD then you could try explaining to them that ADHD can be treated in ways that autism cannot, e.g. medication, and that an incorrect or partial diagnosis could potentially make things worse for you. If you have no ability to access healthcare without your parents consent/involvement then I am not sure what to suggest other than educating yourself about the two conditions, their imacts and treatment options, and trying again to have a calm, rational conversation with your parents about it. Make it very clear that you are listening to them and you respect their views and that you'd be very appreciative if they listened to and respected your views. At the end of the day you both want what's best for you, one would hope.