Autism and ADHD are two types of neurodiversity that were once thought to be mutually exclusive. Only a decade ago, it was thought that autism and ADHD could not coexist in the same person simultaneously.

It is now generally accepted that they can, and that it happens frequently. Studies have suggested that up to 80% of autistic people also have ADHD. This has given rise to the unofficial term ‘AuDHD’.

Salise Dourmoush, a partner in our SEN team, looks at AuDHD and the overlapping and opposing traits of autism and ADHD that affect the lives of people with both.

What is AuDHD?

AuDHD is a popular, informal term often used when someone is autistic and has ADHD. It is not an official term, and people are still diagnosed with autism and/or ADHD separately, but for those with both, being an ‘AuDHDer’ has become a popular way for them to identify themselves.

Having AuDHD can be challenging. Although autism and ADHD have some overlapping traits, like emotional regulation and executive functioning challenges, they famously have many opposing traits.

Being an AuDHDer means that you experience a combination of traits of both autism and ADHD to varying levels of intensity. These can often be conflicting, which causes confusion and frustration.

The challenges of AuDHD

Dealing with contradicting traits can be exhausting for someone with AuDHD. For example, they may feel torn between their autistic need for routine and their ADHD desire for spontaneity and novelty. They may crave order and structure but struggle to stay organised or be on time. They may want others to be quiet but are very loud themselves. The list goes on…

This internal struggle between needs can put additional strain on their mental health and executive functioning skills compared with someone with autism or ADHD alone.

Many people with AuDHD also feel isolated and alone because they don’t identify strongly with either autism or ADHD due to the combination of traits they experience. It can be hard for them to find their community and understand their way of thinking.

Being AuDHD can also come with some level of uncertainty. AuDHDers can often find that one set of traits can suddenly become more dominant than the other for periods of time, or that one is more prevalent in different situations.

For example, at home, where they have more control over their sensory experience and environment, the person may see more of their ADHD traits. When out of the home, their autistic traits may be more dominated because they have to deal with a less controlled environment with noise, smell and other people, for example.

The rise of AuDHD

There has been a lot of (often unhelpful and misinformed) talk about “over-diagnosing” autism and ADHD as well as questions about the sudden rise in the number of people being diagnosed with both. The reason is simple: it is because now they can be diagnosed with both. Up until 2013, professionals could not diagnose both autism and ADHD in one person. It was one or the other.

Although AuDHD is not an official diagnosis, professionals now recognise that both conditions can cooccur and they can give diagnoses of both autism and ADHD separately if the person meets the criteria for both.

I suspect that, over time and as research and understanding about AuDHD grows, we will reach a point where this will be a one official diagnosis. This could benefit hundreds of thousands of people in the UK, giving them a better understanding of themselves and access to all of the support they need.