Common symptoms of lesser-known AuDHD that could mean you have two co-existing conditions

AuDHD symptoms can often fly under the radar because of how they incorporate two separate conditions, which is why knowing about them is key to understanding yourself and others around you.

Now, you might be asking what AuDHD is and why you are only hearing about it in recent times. Well, it stands for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These two conditions are quite commonly co-occurring conditions, with it being believed that between 50 and 70 percent of autistic people also have ADHD, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Autism and ADHD are life-long conditions, and symptoms typically present themselves during early childhood.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, autism is ‘a neurodevelopmental condition of variable severity with lifelong effects that can be recognized from early childhood, chiefly characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour'.

ADHD is similarly characterised as ‘a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse’, as per the NHS.

Both conditions are neurodevelopmental conditions, which mean that they occur during the development of the brain.

AuDHD isn't something many people know about (Getty Stock Image)

What causes AuDHD?

While the misconception that certain vaccines can cause autism and ADHD has been debunked, what actually causes the conditions is far from clear.

Studies show that autism and ADHD are largely genetic, and although it can be exacerbated by environmental factors, many specialists believe (due to evidence found in parents) that it is passed down through genetics.

While you might think that there has been a sudden boom in autism and ADHD, social media has shown that it is largely undiagnosed women who are finally receiving the confirmation that they knew all along after being told that ADHD is a boy’s disorder, or that they were simply a quirky girl because they were more introverted than extroverted.

What are the symptoms of AuDHD?

Because AuDHD is characterised by having both autism and ADHD, everyone will present differently, as it is a spectrum.

However, there are common symptoms that many people will share, even if their presentation is slightly different.

But many people with AuDHD with have the below symptoms.

The symptoms of AuDHD are complex (Getty Stock Image)

1. Struggling with Social Communication and Social Interaction

This could be struggling with reciprocal interactions, eye contact, saying things that may seem inappropriate or only being able to talk about your special interests as anything else isn’t going to hold your interest.

Non-verbal communication such as gestures, facial expression, and other body parts in communication will also be studied.

Do you intentionally look in someone’s eyes for ten seconds before moving to the mouth, nose, forehead and back to the eyes to appear that you’re involved in the conversation?

Does eye contact make you feel uncomfortable?

Perhaps you go the other way and use eye contact too strongly?

These are things that will be looked at during an assessment.

Developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships is also something that will be looked into.

Do you struggle to bond with people or to keep long-lasting connections?

2. Repetitive Behaviours

Restrictive, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities are also a symptom.

Insistence on things staying the same and struggling with change is something else that could be present in those with AuDHD.

Sensory reactivity, such as being overwhelmed by bright lights, noises, touch, certain materials and so on are another symptom.

3. Not 'Listening'

For the ADHD side, not listening when spoken to can be a key symptom, and this can apply to autism too, especially since not making eye contact with someone can give the impression of not listening to them.

Other symptoms can range from distractibility (which indicates ADHD) or from deficits in social-emotional reciprocity and nonverbal communication (which indicate autism).

How well can you manage life’s daily challenges? Do you struggle to keep a job or to maintain friends? Perhaps you find yourself obsessing over a specific hobby or food for months before suddenly dropping it?

These are all indicative of ASD/ADHD and AuDHD.

A great little tool that some people use to figure out whether it’s worth receiving an assessment, is to use the RAADS online assessment which asks a very long list of questions and ranks how far on the scale you are.

If you score above a certain number, it’s likely that you have a neurodevelopmental disorder and it’s actually considered to be a valid and reliable source of information to understand whether or not you are on the spectrum.