By Morgan Blair, LPC — licensed professional counselor specializing in eating disorders, trauma, neurodivergence, and LGBTQ+ affirming care.
Maybe you have spent years collecting explanations that almost fit. ADHD seems to explain why tasks disappear from your mind or why your attention locks onto something interesting. Autism seems to explain the sensory overwhelm, the social effort, or the relief you feel when life follows a familiar pattern. Then you notice traits that seem to pull in opposite directions. You want routine and crave novelty, yet you enjoy connection and need a long time to recover from it. When both seem possible, a thoughtful assessment offers a fuller picture.
In this article
Why both seem to fit
Autism and ADHD are both neurodevelopmental differences, and they frequently occur together. Estimates vary, but some research suggests that 50% to 70% of autistic people also meet criteria for ADHD. Both affect executive functioning and attention regulation. Both can also involve sensory needs and challenges navigating social expectations, although the reasons behind those experiences may differ. With so many shared traits, it makes sense that you could recognize yourself in descriptions of both.
One diagnosis sometimes answers only part of the question. You might recognize yourself strongly in descriptions of ADHD and still feel that something remains unexplained. For some people, autism explains experiences previously described as anxiety, sensitivity, or social difficulty. The reverse happens when restlessness or difficulty completing tasks has been viewed only through an autism diagnosis.
The overlap in everyday life
Shared traits often include:
- Starting and shifting tasks: You know what needs to happen, but moving from intention to action feels unusually difficult.
- Intense focus: An interesting activity holds your attention so completely that time and other responsibilities fade into the background.
- Sensory overwhelm: Noise, lighting, textures, or crowded spaces can quickly drain your energy.
- Social effort: Conversations require active concentration, and time with other people leaves you needing recovery.
- Emotional regulation: Frustration or unexpected change hits quickly and takes time to move through.
None of these experiences points to one diagnosis by itself. Research comparing executive functioning in autism and ADHD found substantial similarities between the two. A complete evaluation looks at the pattern across your life and the reasons behind each trait.
The reasons behind similar behavior
Two experiences can look similar from the outside while feeling very different internally. You might miss part of a conversation because your attention shifted away. You could also miss the meaning because the other person relied on hints or an unspoken social rule. Both can happen at the same time.
Transitions offer another example. ADHD often makes it difficult to pull attention away from something engaging. Autism often makes a sudden change feel disorienting because the expected plan has disappeared. If you are both autistic and have ADHD, you may need structure and still struggle to maintain it. You can seek stimulation and become overwhelmed by it. Those tensions often make the combined experience feel confusing, even when the pattern makes sense.
Where the differences become clearer
ADHD often centers on regulating attention, impulses, and activity level. Interest pulls your attention in powerfully, while repetitive or low-interest tasks are harder to begin. Novelty often helps your brain engage. Sometimes, action happens before you have had time to think through the next step.
Autism often involves differences in social communication and sensory processing. Predictability, routines, and focused interests carry deep importance. You may communicate more directly than others expect or need extra time to process what someone means. Changes become harder when they disrupt a plan or remove the predictability you were relying on.
These differences offer useful clues, although the boundaries remain messy. Your traits interact with your history, environment, and the ways you have learned to cope. Assessment looks at how those pieces work together in your actual life.
Masking hides the pattern
Masking often develops quietly. You learn to rehearse conversations, copy what seems socially expected, or hide the movements that help you regulate. You overprepare so no one sees how difficult organization feels. Strong grades, creative talent, or professional success can hide the effort required to keep everything going.
Camouflaging is often associated with autism, but research shows that adults with ADHD use it too. Bias and narrow stereotypes also affect who gets recognized. This matters especially if you are queer, trans, or part of another marginalized community. By the time you seek answers, self-blame may have become part of the story.
Why assessing both matters
A thoughtful evaluation considers your developmental history and current life circumstances. It explores sensory experiences, social communication, and executive functioning. It also considers trauma, anxiety, and eating concerns because each affects attention and regulation in different ways.
Because autism and ADHD overlap so often, I generally recommend assessing both together. Excluding one too early can leave you with an incomplete picture. If you already have an ADHD diagnosis and are curious about autism, or the reverse, a standalone assessment may still fit your needs. We can decide together based on your history and the questions you want answered.
A more useful map for moving forward
Having language for your neurodivergence often changes how you respond to yourself. It helps you choose supports that fit the way you actually function. It becomes easier to stop measuring yourself against strategies that were never designed for your brain. You can make choices about work, relationships, and recovery with greater self-trust.
At Unpolished Journey, I offer neurodivergent-affirming therapy. My approach is LGBTQ+-affirming, collaborative, and grounded in the whole person. I want you to leave with language that feels useful and recommendations that fit your actual life. I’m Morgan Blair, LPC, and I invite you to reach out so we can talk about what you have been noticing and decide together which type of assessment makes sense. While I don’t provide formal assessments within my practice, I can help point you in the right direction for where to start your assessment process.
Frequently asked questions about autism and ADHD
Can I be both autistic and an ADHDer?
Yes. Autism and ADHD frequently occur together, and you can receive both diagnoses. Some people use the term AuDHD to describe their combined experience.
How do I know which traits come from autism or ADHD?
A single trait rarely provides a clear answer. An assessment looks at why the trait happens, when it began, and how it connects with the rest of your experience. The overall pattern matters more than one behavior.
What if I already have one diagnosis?
You do not always need to repeat the entire assessment process. A standalone autism or ADHD evaluation could be appropriate when your existing diagnosis leaves important questions unanswered. We can discuss your history and decide which approach fits.
Can trauma look similar to autism or ADHD?
Trauma affects attention, sensory responses, relationships, and emotional regulation. Those effects sometimes overlap with autistic or ADHD traits. A careful evaluation looks at your developmental history and when each pattern began.
Is assessment worthwhile if I function well?
Yes, especially when functioning requires constant masking or overpreparing. Your achievements do not reveal how much effort daily life requires. Assessment can help you find support that reduces that burden.
By Morgan Blair, LPC.
Her clinical work focuses on eating disorders, trauma, neurodivergence, identity, autism, ADHD, and LGBTQ+ affirming care. Her training includes ADHD and autism assessment, emotion-focused family therapy, and narrative, somatic, and expressive approaches.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Antshel, K. M., & Russo, N. (2019). Autism spectrum disorders and ADHD: Overlapping phenomenology, diagnostic issues, and treatment considerations. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(5), Article 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1020-5
Hours, C., Recasens, C., & Baleyte, J.-M. (2022). ASD and ADHD comorbidity: What are we talking about? Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 837424. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.837424
Townes, P., Liu, C., Panesar, P., Devoe, D., Lee, S. Y., Taylor, G., Arnold, P. D., Crosbie, J., & Schachar, R. (2023). Do ASD and ADHD have distinct executive function deficits? A systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparison studies. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(14), 1571–1582. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231190494
van der Putten, W. J., Mol, A. J. J., Groenman, A. P., Radhoe, T. A., Torenvliet, C., Agelink van Rentergem, J. A. A., & Geurts, H. M. (2024). Is camouflaging unique for autism? A comparison of camouflaging between adults with autism and ADHD. Autism Research, 17(4), 812–823. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3099