Autism Awareness Month Highlights Connection Between ASD and ADHD
April is Autism Awareness Month. Many people and their families cope with the dual diagnosis of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. At least forty percent, and possibly as many as seventy percent, of individuals who have ASD may also have ADHD.
It wasn’t long ago that parents were told a dual diagnosis of ADHD and autism was not possible, that their child could have one disorder but not both. This changed with the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). DSM-5 states the disorders can and do co-occur for some children and adults.
Many families and adults felt the DSM-5 was just catching up to their lived experiences.
“There used to be an exclusion, that ADHD couldn’t be diagnosed at the same time or in the same child who has an autism spectrum disorder,” says Ericka L. Wodka, PhD, ABPP-CN, clinical director of Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation. She explains this exclusion was because, “the vast majority of children with autism have a difficulty with attention that doesn’t necessary warrant a separate diagnosis.”
Research shows a strong co-occurrence of ADHD and ASD
ADHD and autism may co-occur more often than medical experts once thought. A 2013 study concluded that a “sizable minority” of children with also display symptoms or traits of autism spectrum disorder. This finding suggests that autism traits are also connected to a greater impairment in interpersonal skills for children with ADHD and more difficulties in school.
A second study in the journal Autism, found children affected by both ADHD and autism displayed lower cognitive function, more severe social impairments, and greater delays in adaptive function than children who had a diagnosis of only autism spectrum disorder. Another study from the same year also showed that children diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD are at a greater risk than their peers of receiving a diagnosis of anxiety or mood disorder.
“I have long defined autism spectrum disorders as a mix of ADHD, anxiety, and a language-based learning disability, where language is taken too literally and body language is poorly understood,” writes Edward B. Aull, MD, in Attention magazine. “In someone with a mild condition, it often requires prolonged symptom review by the evaluator to ‘discover’ the correct diagnosis. It is not that the diagnosis of ADHD is incorrect, it’s incomplete.”
Early intervention is key
How can you best help your child if you suspect more than one condition affects them? Dr. Wodka suggests you make sure your child has a thorough evaluation that considers the possibility of co-occurring conditions.
“It’s certainly possible for a child to have autism and ADHD, but these are two separate disorders,” she says. “If a child has a dual diagnosis there may be a separate understanding and treatment for the two disorders, especially when their disorders and symptoms overlap.”
“Recognition that a person doesn’t simply have ADHD, but also has Asperger’s syndrome or another autism spectrum disorder, may lead to better school and occupational results,” writes Dr. Aull. “Although the diagnoses are not always easily differentiated, [ASD] is important to consider when someone thought to have ADHD is not doing well.”
A tailored approach is needed, one that addresses the symptoms of both conditions and how those symptoms interact. ADHD and ASD often have overlapping symptoms, and parents and professionals have found some treatments helpful for both conditions. It’s best for parents to work closely with a professional who has experience in treating both conditions at the same time.
Looking for more?
- ADHD, Autism, and More: What Goes into Getting a Diagnosis?
- Combined ADHD and Autism: How Would You Know?
- Is It ADHD or Autism?
- Understanding and Differentiating Between Autism and ADHD
- Ask the Expert: The Relationship between ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and ADHD
- When Smart Children, Teens and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum have ADHD