For a long time, you couldn’t officially be diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. We now know the two frequently co-occur — and the combination, increasingly called “AuDHD,” has its own distinctive, sometimes contradictory experience.
What AuDHD is
AuDHD is an informal term for having both autism and ADHD. It’s common: a significant proportion of autistic people also have ADHD, and vice versa. Until 2013, diagnostic rules didn’t allow both together; that changed, and recognition has grown rapidly since.
When two neurotypes pull in opposite directions
What makes AuDHD distinctive is that the two can pull against each other:
- Routine vs novelty. Autism often craves predictability and routine; ADHD craves novelty and stimulation. Living with both can feel like having one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator.
- Rigid vs impulsive. A need for sameness alongside impulsivity.
- Deep focus vs distractibility. Intense special-interest focus alongside ADHD distractibility.
- Masking and burnout. The effort of managing both, and of masking, makes burnout especially common.
This internal tension is exhausting and can leave people feeling that generic advice for “just autism” or “just ADHD” never quite fits.
Why it’s often missed
The two can mask each other — ADHD’s flexibility can hide autistic rigidity, and autistic structure can hide ADHD chaos — so one is frequently diagnosed while the other is missed. Many adults are only recognised as AuDHD after being diagnosed with one and finding the picture still incomplete.
Getting a complete picture
Because the traits interact, a thorough assessment that considers both is valuable. Read about our autism assessment and ADHD assessment, try the free ADHD self-check, or book an appointment with a referral.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Only a qualified clinician can diagnose autism or ADHD.