do you suffer from attention deficit disorder?

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Yes, especially so because in some countries (or most countries or all, frankly, I don't know about situation as it is worldwide), medication for ADHD can and/or will only be prescribed to someone with a diagnosis of ADHD but not to someone with a diagnosis of ASD who definitely has symptoms of ADHD that require treatment but who does not have a diagnosis of ADHD.

I am daydreaming all the time and i find it hard to concentrate even if i found something interesting to read. It is strange because my daydreaming usually involves imagination but i've read that aspies have trouble with it. Or it is not a rule?

Actually, per the CDC "because of the evolution of the case definition and differences in how the case definition is operationalized, there is disagreement as to ADHD prevalence and precise characteristics of children with the disorder."

A very large population study is planned with consistent standards to determine actual prevalance and co-morbidity with other conditions. Part of the reason current studies are all over the place in prevalence and co-morbidity of ADHD in clinical trials is that case definitions are not consistent between research in small clinical trial samples that have been done.

Clinical trials can be accurate at what they measure per specific case definitions within clinical environments that measure limited demographics, but they are evidenced as not providing accurate evidence of either prevalence or co-morbidity in the general population, because of the differences in case definitions and demographics limited to each specific clinical environment.



The DSM has always acknowledged that individuals with ASD's commonly experience co-morbid symptoms associated with ADHD, however to this point they have precluded dual diagnoses in that the symptoms were better accounted for by ASD's. That issue has been a controversial one, but one based on scientific research.

The decision to preclude dual diagnosis was based on previous research into the issue, and the decision to allow dual diagnosis will be provided based on recent research into the issue. At this point recent research provides evidence that out of a group of 2000 children studied whom are actually diagnosed with ASD's close to half were evidenced with symptoms of ADHD, a third would likely meet criteria for a diagnosis of both ASD and ADHD, but only 1 out of 10 of the group of 2000 were being treated for symptoms of ADHD.

This is the type of research that could be a decision changer for the DSMV working group, in the importance of encouraging dual diagnoses to ensure appropriate treatment options are provided for symptoms of ADHD. Per the last revision the decision was to preclude dual diagnoses, but that decision may be changed per the final revision of the DSM5.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919093851.htm

Last edited by aghogday on 06 May 2012, 12:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

You have far more faith in the system than I do, then. I couldn't find anything that seriously validated this assumption, any more than I could find research that really validated the assumption that the majority of people diagnosed with autism also had intellectual disability - but I could easily find research that refuted both assumptions. I simply do not see how they could conclude that the symptoms were better accounted for by ASDs to the point that being diagnosed with an ASD precludes an ADHD diagnosis without carrying assumptions into the research itself.

As I pointed out, in practical terms, people are being diagnosed with both. In typical autism screenings, are often being screened for both due to the high rate of co-morbidity that has been empirically established.

It appears that you read that statement as I intended it, however I accidentally put a "not" in there that literally made the opposite point. I edited it so it would provide the statement that I intended. The difference can be seen in the post that you quoted.

The DSM organization bases it's decisions, in part, on this issue, per independent research as evidenced below. Up until recently symptoms of ADHD seen in Autism Spectrum Disorders have been considered inclusive of Autism Spectrum Disorders, both by the ICD10 and the DSM IV.

The ICD10 came to the same conclusion, per the two disorders being mixed, as quoted below.

However there is the potential that this will change in the ICD11, if that decision has not already been made, per allowing dual diagnoses.

As it turns out, two days ago the DSM5 has made the decision, per link and most recent revision in the quote below to allow dual diagnosis, based in part on evidence per recent research providing similiar conclusions to the research I provided in the last post.

Regarding your comment on Intellectual disability and Autism, as I remember there was older limited research that suggested that intellectual disability occurs in autism disorder alone, at rates of up to 70%, however intellectual disabilities in ASD's are measured by the most recent government supported research by the CDC, at 38% on average, per the same study that provided the recent 1 in 88 statistic.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6103a1.htm?s_cid=ss6103a1_w







http://www.dsm5.org/proposedrevision/pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=383#




Current criteria for a DSMIV diagnosis ADHD:

http://www.ldawe.ca/DSM_IV.html



Current Criteria regarding differential diagnosis from the ICD10:

http://counsellingresource.com/lib/distress/adhd/hyperkinesis/

The statistics about intellectual disability in autism mean nothing to me. The receptive and eggspressive communication impairments of autism prevent the accurate measurement of intelligence in autistic children, eggspecially those with classic autism and lack of or limited speech, auditory processing problems, and lack of understanding of communication, such as wtf is asking and answering questions for IQ tests. Also, autistic children think and perceive differently, so they will often give answers not matching the eggspected answers on IQ tests and therefore score poorly on IQ tests. Also, autistic children often suffer from sensory overload and brain shutdown in the presence of unfamiliar people like the IQ testgiver or in unfamiliar places like the IQ testing place, so that drop in cognitive functioning will also bring down the scores.

This was the kind of point I was trying to make the last time that came up.

Proper assessment of the children's abilities in these classes for the developmentally disabled, where these statistics came from, is vital as to whether or not they are going to eventually be able to gain the ability to express and/or communicate their potential intelligence, through proper therapy and accommodations. IQ tests are acknowledged as limited in testing overall intelligence, and are a small piece of the pie of assessment for the abilities of an autistic child.

IQ tests provide a limited measure of intelligence; some individuals with Aspergers that test very high on IQ tests, that are not even identified by the government in these classes for the developmentally disabled, are limited in brain function, in areas that IQ tests don't touch.

All the impairments that you list above that can limit one in taking an IQ test, are clinical features of autism that are influenced by limits in brain function; unfortunately this impacts the ability for some in taking tests that attempt to measure certain identified areas of intellect, but some tests also do not measure any of those limits in brain function that result in the clinical features of autism similar to the ones you list.

Some of which are impairments in non verbal/ verbal communication, sensory integration problems, auditory processing problems, attention problems, focus problems, executive functioning problems, short term working memory; the list goes on. These are inherent issues of deficits in cognitive function, measured in some autistic individuals through other means than IQ tests, related to the abilities associated with the expression of intelligence.

Standard IQ tests measure deficiencies in verbal intelligence, however non-verbal tests of intelligence like raven matrices tests measure little to none of the rest of these variables associated with limited brain function as it pertains to the real life expression and/or communication of intelligence evident in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Some children that are not able to take standard tests of intelligence, whom lack verbal abilities, are already provided alternative non-verbal testing such as the raven matrices test of intelligence.

Standard IQ tests are evidenced to underestimate fluid intelligence in some children with autism, particularly those that measure low in verbal intelligence, however neither Standard IQ tests or non-verbal measures of intelligence fully measure other limits in brain function of autistic individuals that can make the difference in how well one can function in life, associated with social/communicative, physical, and emotional intelligence, resulting in impairments observed in behaviors.

It's all part of the entire pie of intelligence, that many of these children in these classes for the developmentally disabled experience as disabling factors per limits of brain functioning as it relates to functioning in real life. And for some whom may graduate at the top of their class and never enter the doors of a class for the developmentally disabled, who might also score higher than 130 on an standard IQ test or equivalent on a non-verbal test for fluid intelligence.

Limits in brain functioning are core to diagnosed cases of autism spectrum disorders, whether measured through IQ tests or observable behaviors, both for those that score 70 on an IQ test and potentially for those that score 130. A part of why some people don't get the assistance they need in life; cultural bias on what intelligence even means, as it relates to every day life functioning.

I don't think that IQ testing is critical to measuring anything in autistic children. I think that the best way to figure out if an autistic child is intelligent and capable of learning is to teach them the three R's in ways that work well for autistic cognition, e.g. visual > verbal, concrete > abstract, clarity > ambiguity, and work within the limits of autistic impairments, e.g. matching > pointing, reading > listening, typing > handwriting.

Standard IQ testing is a small part of the assessment of learning difficulties in determining what areas of strengths and weaknesses occur and how they should be properly addressed in a child with autism. However, Standard IQ testing is a scientifically acknowledged important measurement in determining whether or not some individuals on the spectrum have the condition described as non-verbal learning disorder.

It also can be a pre-determining factor as to whether or not a child should have an MRI to determine if there are brain lesions in the right hemisphere of the brain, associated with this condition.

There is no standard for autistic cognition; some children do very well in verbal communication, some do poorly, some are seriously deficient in non-verbal communication, while others do not even meet that currently non-mandatory criteria of problems with social interaction. As well as many other variations in cognition.

For those that are able to take Standard IQ testing, general differences in certain areas of cognition among individuals on the Autism Spectrum can be detected. Differences in verbal intelligence as well as other measures of intelligence such as performance IQ vary greatly within the spectrum, as evidenced by Standard IQ testing

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_articles/nvld

No, that's not ADHD.
ADHD is more about be unable to choose what to focus on. Sometimes people with ADHD can hyperfocus but it's not always in our control.
Like even now, on my meds, I'm finding it very hard to focus on what I need to.

Like AS there's a whole criteria to fit in ADHD and if the above our your only issues than I'd say you wouldn't fit it.

As for me I have combined ADHD; both Inattentive and hyperactive symptoms. My symptoms actually feel completely separate from my autism. It's like when I'm bothered by them I'm less bothered by autistic symptoms and vice versa. Same goes for hyperactivity and the inattentive symptoms. It's like when I'm experiencing one I don't experience another. It's probably because one is more serious at that moment, and other people can usually experience all at once.