Could ADD be the sole cause of my problems?

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I am wondering if my primary problem is attentional in nature, and this has caused secondary social/sensory issues.

Here's how I see what might have happened to me:

My inability to concentrate on what people are doing and saying is a major impediment to learning all kinds of things that are necessary to socialising (and being 'successfully' educated, another problem). The result of this is that I don't form 'neurotypical' pathways for social information, body language, speech inflection etc. etc. leading to isolation from an unforgiving pack, which causes further entrenchment of the problem. I did learn some things that I was very interested in very well, such as written language, which I learned in quiet isolation away from the sensory hubbub of people.

I believe that my sensory issues may be a kind of attention problem too. What I am fairly sure is APD (Audio Processing Disorder) for example, it seems like my mind has to fight very hard to tune into what people are saying. It's almost useless talking to me on a busy street, my mind can't unstick information from noise, especially while I'm trying to walk straight and keep from bumping into objects and other humans, and from dying under the wheels of some bus. My brain just can't seem to multitask too well.

A major advancement came in my late twenties, when I developed an intense interest in Buddhism, and began seriously meditating, which involved finally learning some concentration skills. I am finding that deliberately holding my awareness on something where before I would naturally drift allows me to actually learn from whatever I am giving my attention to. I call this 'cranking': not a technical term. It's not natural for me to pay attention to certain things. It doesn't come easily. It's something I must deliberately do; bring my mind to something, and keep bringing it back when it wanders, like unruly children, or herding cats.

The upside of all this is that I suddenly made quite a jump in my ability to socialise successfully, simply through giving more attention in situations where before I would simply drift off into my own thoughts, or something more interesting to me than 'people stuff'.

I welcome comments and discussion. This is a long post for me. Sorry to people with poor attention spans like me. But then, you probably didn't make it this far anyway.

ADHD is also associated with sensory processing disorder, which may explain sensory issues in greater detail.

As for the socializing, yes, I believe ADHD can interfere with one's ability to socialize like that. I was reading about it the other day, and I have come across other material about it. I know a lot of people who have ADHD who are not themselves on the spectrum have issues with things like small talk, although in somewhat different ways.

I am not an expert, I just spent several months devouring all the literature on ADHD I could find.

I'll also add I know of someone else who says he used mindfulness CBT and meditation to treat his ADHD, and saw a lot of improvement over time.

Thanks for reading, Verdandi.

I'm wondering if I'm heading for a radical reassessment of myself and my (self) diagnostic status.

I'll see if I can dig something up on ADHD and socialization. They say it's not an input disorder, but I think it really kind of is, just in a really uneven way.

Also, none of this means necessarily that you don't have AS, but if you think it's worthwhile to investigate this possibility...well, I've never been disappointed by making that decision for myself.

I truly believe with the combination of factors you described, that you have AS. Trust your self-diagnosis, but verify it with a professional.

This article http://www.devcogneuro.com/Publications/ADD.pdf someone posted about here brings up the different social aspects that can affect ADD and ADHD. I can't copy/paste the section I mean. Personally, it doesn't really explain my sense of detachment but maybe my shyness.

Not being able to understand when people talk to you could be a lack of focus or being too distracted by background noise. It's not always auditory processing disorder. I think we get caught up in our research that we think we could have anything.

You could try to experiment by drinking coffee and then seeing how this affects your social skills and comprehension. Coffee is a very fast acting stimulant though. By the way on stimulant medication my autistic symptoms can worsen, like my withdrawal, lack of empathy (at times) and routines. While it doesn't make me as obsessed with my special interests and I can switch from one thing to another I can still find myself feeling restless from change and if I can't find something to do I will just pace continuously with a blank mind.
It is possible to have both ADD and Asperger's.

Sounds pretty reasonable Moog. BTW, I practiced Zen Buddhism for several years when I was in my 20s, it helped me in many ways, and I still use meditation to this day. So I can relate.

I find it an admirable quality in people, this process of self-reflection, self-discovery, and self-improvement...not everyone does that. Best of luck on your journey

Meditation really does help with focus and concentration. I just wish I wasn't so damn impatient to do it. When I do relax my mind for a few minutes thoughts flow much more clearly and I'm not sure if it makes me more attentive. I'm working on that.

I tried very hard to read your entire post
I was able to, by returning to it, so I didn't read it all at once.
It's not easy for me because I have a very short concentration span unless it is something I am intensely fascinated by and even then my mind wanders some. I get distracted. I also experience information processing issues. I don't want to take the time to listen to everything. My friend used to tell me long stories and I would tell her to give me the Reader's Digest version and she would say everyone commented on her story telling abilities and I was the only one who didn't like listening to the entire telling of events.
It wasn't that I didn't want to listen to all of it, it was that I was full of suspense and wanted to know the outcome right then, not wait to hear everything, even the minutia.
I tried to get some Adderal from my GP a few years ago, but she wouldn't budge, claiming she needed to test my liver, first. She didn't want to test it. If she only knew how bad my information span is, she would understand why I needed Adderal. My short information span really does interfere with learning new things. I persevere, sometimes reading something two or three times before getting it.
I never did get an Adderal prescription, I just gave up on it, thinking it probably wouldn't help, anyway. I got the impression the GP didn't trust my motives for wanting Adderal since so many people want prescriptions for stimulants.
So, now I just live with it and cope the best I can.
I still drift in and out of my own thoughts. If something doesn't hold my interest, I just think about things that do. I miss entire conversations this way. People can tell I am not listening, I am sure. My mother, in particular notices it and doesn't like talking to me because of it. She doesn't think I care about what she is saying, but most the time it's because I am distracted.
Watching movies is iffy. Sometimes, I can pay attention the entire time with maybe one or two short drifts. Other times, if it's a DVD, I have to start over three or four times to get into the movie. Later, I have to rewind certain parts I miss. My determination sees me through and I do manage to watch the movie and get the plot. Sometimes, I lose track of the character's names. I really have to focus to catch them.
When I try to recount the movie to others, I say "the main character, she's the woman that experienced so-and-so." I am much better at remembering events and awful at names.
Life with ADHD, for me, means having to take the time to watch and read stuff more than once.

i can't say enough good things about strattera. just don't have a pre-existing case of GERD before you start taking it. oh, and have gold-plated health coverage. but i digress.
ADHD [ADD inattentive type] makes my AS worse. tourettes makes it more "entertaining." OCD makes it more dramatic. and a welter of various other things make me wonder what "pure" AS feels like.