Can “inattentive” ADHD actually be AS?

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I have heard ADHD-I explained as being internally hyperactive, rather than externally hyperactive.

In addition to all the symptom overlap between ADHD and AS, there's overlap with a third area, "giftedness." Take a look at the symptoms listed here. This is the type of giftedness that some argue is misnamed because it can be a curse, not a gift; it can mean spiky skill profiles, social isolation due to difference from peers, sensory issues, emotional regulation issues, and more. It does not equate to being more successful in life, and it does come with a lot of stigma that is painful. I got the "gifted" label, yet really struggle with some things. I'm here on WP as part of trying to figure out if I am actually AS; previously I investigated if I might be ADHD-I, but decided that the definitional symptoms did not apply to me.

I really wonder if all three of these, ADHD, AS, and "giftedness," have an essential neurological commonality.

Interesting read. I'm in the process of being examined for ADHD. I have already made an impression by contacting them because they didn't call me up on the 23rd of july. Turned out it was 23rd of august they were supposed to call... Just the typical me.

I tick almost every box appart from the impulsivity and need for change. So if being avert to change and risk is part of ADHD I can easily say I fit in.

I'm a little bit nervous about the test. The biggest concern is me overanalyzing everything trying to figure out what they're after.

Bumping this old thread because I have some experience with this:

I am deeply confused about what ADHD-I is supposed to mean. When I was ~12 years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD-I and still have that diagnosis today. I still see that same psychiatrist as my only mental health professional. If I remember right, the psychiatrist essentially said that I don't fit much of the description for ADHD, but when I took the computerized testing (doing this really mundane task of pressing the spacebar when a color said out loud matched the word printed on the screen) I tested so well that they stated it was a prime example of hyperfocus. They claimed my ADHD was primarily manifesting by being so hyperfocused on something that interested me at any given time that was unrelated to the task I should have been doing while in class/at home.

I have suggested that I think the ADHD-I diagnosis is an incomplete view of my ailment for about ten years now (I am now 23.) I've specifically mentioned that I suspect I may be on the autism spectrum, but my psychiatrist has literally laughed at me for suggesting this.

They claim I am "too connected" (no idea what that's supposed to mean, the only clue they gave is that I wanted to be a priest as a child), I don't stim (most of my stimming is in the form of finger twiddling so they can't see that from the desk we sit in during checkups), I could keep a job (I literally had to quit my last software engineering job because, even with stimulant medication, I would spend months sitting in front of my computer doing little but whimpering like a kicked dog some days from overwhelm), and I have and always had friends (while ignoring that I do not have the same friends because people leave me all the time with no reason that I can discern.)

That said, I am currently seeking an ASD diagnosis from a different psychologist since I am not being taken seriously. I am definitely decent enough at masking so I can understand why I am not "stereotypical" enough of an aspie for them to recognize (that word was used the last time I brought up autism), but the struggles with blending in socially and dealing with sensory overwhelm in a "normal" way absolutely wrecks me internally. I don't believe I have ever had a public meltdown in my teenage years and adulthood, but several times a month I need to leave social gatherings early because I am experiencing what seems to be a perfect match with what autistic people call "shutdown" (I used to call it "dissociation", though I knew the label didn't fit perfectly) and nowadays I just don't go to many social gatherings at all in environments where I know I will become overstimulated.

They say overstimulation is a common symptom of ADHD, but unlike all the ADHD people I know, most of whom fit the diagnosis far better than I seem to, never report overstimulation to the point that it is a central part of their decision making.

The overstimulation and self-isolation to counteract sensory overwhelm is a trait I have had since I was a little boy. I was also more "stereotypically autistic" as a child: I would spontaneously vomit if an unexpected loud noise happened, I would take my parents' keys and lock myself in the car during large family gatherings when I needed "alone time" (my words), I was fully capable of working a Windows 98 computer while in diapers, all the way down to defragmenting the hard drives, needed to go to therapy for speech impediments and poor motor skills, I was hyperlexic (reading at age 3), the list goes on.

Despite all this, my psych believes I am ADHD-I with likely social anxiety and a sensory processing disorder (and if they would have let me speak longer, likely depression as well), which to me sounds like "reverse-engineering" ASD with several other diagnoses.

Basically, I think some psychiatrists, possibly those more heavily in the pockets of Big Pharma, will diagnose high functioning ASD as ADHD-I, and depending on the gender and external presentation, will tack on generalized/social anxiety disorder, depression, and/or OCD. I know other people who have the same diagnosis that I strongly suspect are on the spectrum, some of these people I feel even more strongly are on the spectrum than me.

I'll hopefully edit this post after my screening and hopeful ASD evaluation which is coming up soon. Please reply to this if you've had a similar experience.

i can get the "whimpering like a kicked dog" bit for sure. that was overstressed me for many years 'til i was able to leave the rat race. among my many dx's are inattentive subtype ADHD, useta just be called ADD back in the stoned age.

I have very low concentration in everything unless very interested in the subject. I live in chaos around home because I have a tendency to do nothing. I find it difficult to switch actions. I was described as a daydreamer at school and misunderstood as uncooperative or defiant. I am extremely disorganised and time management is bad. I am what society deems 'scruffy'. I am slow but methodical thinker and easily distracted. I am forgetful I get over stimulated. Sounds like innatentive ADD?

boogie perhaps printing out a letter and handing it to them might help, seems like they dont understand you very well. Or get a different psychiatrist.

As for laughing about possible autism, it is a spectrum afterall.

Interesting that you might not have done homework because you were hyper focused on something else. I never thought about it like that. With me I was probably playing computer games, listening to music or playing music. Or too depressed and anxious to do anything!

Maybe ADHD-I can often be helped by medication ? ? ?

In that case, the doctor should just say so. He or she should say something like, Hey, there’s a fair amount of overlap between ADHD-I and the broad autism spectrum. Some people are helped by medication.

[don’t quit the medication cold turkey] <— I don’t know about this case, but often this is excellent advice.

strattera did help me with both my inattentive/distractible ADHD as well as my AS and Avoidant PD and perhaps a few other things as well, with minimal side fx.