Autism and ADHD have so many overlapping qualities that it can be hard to untangle what is what. It varies by person, but in my personal experience being diagnosed with both I have noticed they present themselves in different ways. My main struggles being on the spectrum are sensory issues and understanding social cues/making eye contact. It does not interfere with my focus the way ADHD does; my ADHD is more of an untrained focus and causes a lack of motivation to do things I don’t find interesting. Through learning over time, it becomes easier to learn how to communicate effectively with ADHD. Being on the spectrum is what provides the added challenge. It feels as though I don’t have to work as hard to mask my ADHD traits as I do my autism traits. It is not the ADHD that is causing my struggle of finding the right social paths. And even if I did find the right ones, I would never really be fully comfortable in social situations because I would be masking my identity on the spectrum to blend in with the rest. These feelings are subjective, and there are plenty of people on the spectrum with ADHD who likely feel differently from me. But if you are diagnosed with both, just know that you are not alone. There are many of us on the spectrum with more than one diagnosis, and while it may complicate things, it does not make them impossible.
~Anonymous Writer
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