Should ADHD be included on the Spectrum?

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Ever since I was diagnosed with ADHD (2009) and my wife with AS (2010, I was diagnosed with AS later that year) we have been discussing whether ADHD belongs on the Spectrum.

What do you think?

If you think it belongs on the Spectrum, why?

If you think it doesnt belong on the Spectrum, why?

There are different ways of being ADHD. At least one of these is similar to ASD, if not identical.

Similarly in ASD research, there seems to be different sub-types. At least one of these is similar to ADHD.

If we start to get sophisitcated enough about our knowledge of how the brain works to really differenciate how the brain works, I feel fairly confident that we'll discover that a percentage of ADHD and ASD people belong in the category. I don't know that the overlap will include a whole lot of people though.

This is too hard to answer with my knowledge and categories... but I'm curious what others will say here. I think we're just discovering what kinds of autism there are and how to classify it all.

I am all for including ADHD (and OCD, and other cognitive issues) in the Neurodiversity umbrella, but they don't have to equal autism to be there.

No, because the two disorders have completely different symptoms. Sure, there's a lot of overlap, but they are not the same. If we were to include ADHD as being on the spectrum, we would have to include every mental disorder as being on the spectrum, since all mental disorders have things in common with autism. I do think people with ADHD are neurodivergent though.

The autistic Triad of Impairments includes: 1) social impairment; 2) verbal and non-verbal language impairment; and 3) repetitive/stereotyped activities. A seemingly similar ADHD Dyad of Impairments includes: 1) inattention, and 2) hyperactivity or impulsivity.

The question, then, becomes one of: Do the ADHD impairments find a basis for their existence within the autistic impairments? It would seem, in this context, that the ADHD inattention impairment could be attributed to a kind of autistic language impairment, while the ADHD hyperactivity or impulsivity impairment could be attributed to a kind of autistic repetitive/stereotyped impairment activities (anxiety and/or obsessive-compulsive).

But, what about the autistic social impairment? Well, if autistic repetitive/stereotyped activities are significantly based in Social Anxiety Disorder, it could be argued that the triad/dyad comparison is complete. Severity would definitely play along with any connection between the two disorders.

So, would ADHD be its own spectrum coexisting side-by-side with autism, or would it be a part of a larger, combined, neurological spectrum like, say, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the cadet Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) which shares the autism spectrum, where the symptomology is quite similar but, still part of the overall spectrum?

I can see the appeal of so many autism-ADHD similarities suggesting something more than coexistence. But, when BAP isn't yet officially a diagnosis, let alone recognized as a subspectrum concept, I believe it could take years to achieve an even broader autism spectrum.

No, I don't feel ADHD should be on the Autistic Spectrum. Many people with ADHD happen to have absolutely no trouble socially. In fact, some that I have seen seem to be "hypersocial." It's a compensation for their attentional difficulties, I believe.

I believe ADHD, Inattentive Type, most resembles the "high end" of the Spectrum.

However, there are people with Autism/Asperger's who are definitely ADHD, including me.

Talk about a "rise in incidence" leading to the feeling of an "epidemic" should ADHD be included in the Autistic Spectrum!

Can you imagine the panic that would strike if all the ADHDers were included on the spectrum? High estimates are that 10% of kids qualify.

On the other hand, there are several members of my family who hold the dx of ADHD, but at least one is totally autistic. Its just a matter of being born too late. Especially this one uncle. He's painfully obvious. Its kind of sad. He came to one thanksgiving and made a long drawn out announcement that he had "this thing called ADHD." And then proceeded to define what ADHD is, including statements like "You probably don't know what those initials mean..." My family just sat in stunned silence. Literally 3/4 of the people at that table had held ADHD dx for years and years. 20 years before, my special education process was this major drama in my family and it all revolved around ADHD. My three cousins had been sent to special ADHD schools because they were failing regular high school. This uncle was clueless about the whole thing. Completely over his head. He thought he was introducing us to the idea. So, the crossover between ADHD and ASD is significant.

I've never even been suspected of having ADHD. Especially the "hyperactive" part. More like hypoactive.

I am self-diagnosed with the "inattentive" type.

I go back to the days before there was an ADHD. I was diagnosed with autism and with "brain damage/injury."

Every doc I have seen, and everything Ive read ( used to know a guy who I suspect was ADHD- maybe a little bit of sociopathy mixed in) convinces me that ADHD is comparable to aspergers, but is quite different from aspergers (blue is comparable to red, but is a very different color from red). So -no- I dont believe that ADHD should be put on the ASD spectrum (though many individuals maybe comorbid with both conditions).

It's a separate condition. There's only so much that can be crammed under the autism umbrella. But I would say it's a condition that often goes hand in hand with autism. The same seems true for dyspraxia. So maybe part of a neuro-diverse tree?

When I was about your age, Ezra, I used to see a commercial for the "Rubella Umbrella."

Rubella is the same thing as German Measles. It's a mild illness most of the time, but can cause bad birth defects if a pregnant woman gets it.

All the ADHD symptoms have been brought up in various threads here, as though they are all Aspie symptoms.

I've seen hyperactivity, lack of focus, inattentive, easily distracted, memory issues, impulsiveness, and many more, asked "is this common in ASDs?" so ADHD might as well be on the spectrum. Unless these questions are frequently asked by Aspies who have ADHD as well or just ADHD but don't know it?

I've been diagnosed with both ADHD, inattentive type, and autism. I think that they should be thought of as two separate spectrums. There are plenty of people who have one condition and not the other even though they often go hand-in-hand.