Autism and ADHD

In this section:

What is autism?

What is ADHD?

 

 

What is autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition impacting on two key areas of life:

• Social communication and interaction: Difficulty forming social relationships, difficulty making social conversation ('small talk'), difficulty using and understanding social cues (such as eye contact, gesture, turn taking), difficulty taking another person's perspective (known as 'theory of mind').
• Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities: Difficulty responding to changes or coping with new situations, preferring routine, difficulty planning ahead or predicting what might happen next, engaging in repetitive behaviours (such as finger flicking), having very strong interests.

Many autistic people also experience sensory differences and can feel over (hyper) and under (hypo) stimulated within their environment. This can relate to stimuli such as light, sound, taste, smell, touch, and balance, and can significantly impact on the person's functioning and wellbeing. Around 1% of the UK population is on the autism spectrum, that's around 700,000. Autism cuts across all ages, ability levels, race, sex and gender, and none of these should be a barrier to accessing diagnostic assessment or support. 

 

 

What is ADHD?

ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that includes symptoms such as:

• Inattention: Difficulty concentrating for very long or finishing a task, disorganised, easily distracted, forgetful, unable to listen when people are talking.
• Hyperactivity: Fidgety, unable to sit still, talking excessively, always on the go.
• Impulsivity: Acting quickly without thinking about the consequences, interrupting other people, difficulty waiting turn.

Most people can have these sorts of difficulties at times, but for individuals with ADHD, the symptoms are there most of the time and can seriously affect their everyday life.

Around 2.5% of the UK adult population have ADHD.

The impact of living with ADHD can include:

• Difficulties reaching educational potential.
• Difficulties sustaining employment.
• Stress in personal relationships and friendships.
• Offending behaviours.
• Substance misuse.
• Additional mental health issues.
   

The diagnosis of ADHD

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Symptoms similar to ADHD can be very common and can overlap with other difficulties. To meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD, the person:

• Must meet the DSM 5 clinical criteria of inattention and / or hyperactivity-impulsivity.
• Have experienced these symptoms during childhood and adult life, across different settings in their life (such as home, school, university, work, with friends and family).
• Experience impairment due to the ADHD symptoms such as impacting on their education, work, family, friendships and relationships, and self-esteem.