Is there a difference between ADHD and ASD?

There are definite overlaps but this is an apples and oranges scenario here.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is short for attention deficit disorder and is recognised as a chronic condition, the three most important things you need to know about ADHD is that it causes attention difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsivity.  It can also contribute to low self-esteem and real difficulties at school.

What is ASD?

ASD is short for autism spectrum disorder and is a serious developmental disorder that effects a person’s ability to communicate and interact. ASD especially impacts on the nervous system and sensory system.

Now that we have the definitions out the way, what are the similarities and differences?  Firstly, the differences.

It’s best if I just rattle them off so you get a good idea of the sorts of things that contribute to each disorder. But please keep in mind that this is a possible list of symptoms and remember that we are all genetically diverse. So, children with ADHD can display definite impulsivity (uncontrollable urges, that are carried through with), short attention span, poor working memory, poor planning skills, depression when under stimulated, they can make careless mistakes, lack motivation in extrinsic tasks and lack inhibitions.

Now, children with ASD can take things very literally, have anxiety around change, dislike making eye contact, have a lack of understanding with social rules, lack of empathy, become upset with too much or too little touch, and anxiety within social situations.

Secondly, the similarities. (A reason people can be forgiven for thinking ADHD and ASD are the same thing when they see children in the playground or shopping centre). 

Children with ADHD and ASD can both possibly display sensory issues, hyerfixations (getting totally immersed in something), stimming (repetitive movements or noises), auditory processing disorder (information from the ears is not understood and used by the brain correctly), be talkative, find making friends hard, emotional dysregulation, interrupting conversations, sensitive to rejection by others, lack of object management, executive disfunction (frontal part of the brain) and sleep problems.

Can these disorders be comorbid? (Can one person have both?)

Yes, is the short answer. In the DSM-5 (the manual specialists go to for definitions and information about disorder and diseases), both ADHD and ASD are recognised and defined. Years ago, children were given a dual diagnosis of ADHD and ASD, but this is not the case today, children are diagnosed with ASD and ADHD separately. It is pretty complicated for specialists especially due to the overlap in symptoms and the fact that individually each child presents their own “version” of a disorder. To complicate matters and as a side issue, children are now being diagnosed with social communication disorders, this is fairly new to the DSM-5. Social communication disorders can also be comorbid with ADHD and ASD.

A long list of symptoms.

Did you feel a little overwhelmed when you read the list of symptoms for ADHD and ASD? I know I sure did. It is pretty tricky as a parent, children with ADHD and ASD need much support to be functional in a very complicated world. We would like them to be the best version of themselves and this can be no mean feat. Sometimes it can feel like you are lost and not sure where to get the right information and support. I know I did, it took many years of searching and researching to get to the point I am at today.

Where can I get support and resources to help my child?

Create skills for life offers the resources you can use privately use at your own pace to confidently teach your children the skills they need to equip them. Take a look at the resources and products, they are designed with the above list of symptoms in mind.