ADHD and Stimming

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I always thought stimming was most often associated with Autism but it people with ADHD report doing too, despite it not being part of the diagnostic criteria:

https://actuallyadhd.tumblr.com/tagged/stimming

Yep, I carry the ADHD diagnosis and I stim. DSM diagnostic criteria are rigid, and don't take into account the differences of individuals. But it's possible I was misdiagnosed. As I posted in another thread, the ADHD individuals I've encountered present as intense, manic and sometimes exhausting. I'm actually kind of flat until you provoke one of my passions, then I become animated and excited.

Perhaps it could be possible that there is some crossover and you could fully express one condition and be subclinical in another. I have even heard some people start out as Autistic but identify a lot more with ADHD when older. Perhaps ADHD is in fact a different form of Autism but not discovered as such yet. I'd be hesitant to say mild form of Autism though as severe ADHD is anything but mild from what I've seen.

I was told I fit the ADHD diagnosis by a Psych now if I decide to pursue, mainly because I am always on the go, can't sit down for long, struggle with 9-5 and and love nightclubbing but when I was young I was in my own world stimming and had terrible motor coordination.

There is even some identification with special interests:

https://actuallyadhd.tumblr.com/tagged/ ... -interests

It's frustrating because things like "hyperfixation" and "stimming" aren't included in the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. There's no clinical basis for it, and it's created entirely by anecdotal experiences. So, with people like me, you end up with an alphabet soup of diagnoses. When I see some people claim six mental health diagnoses, it seems a bit ridiculous (and redundant).

I dunno. Maybe I'm just fairly sharp, and that puts me out of sync with a majority of the human species

Interestingly, ADHD did not exist as an adult disorder until the 90's, when there was a big push for recognition in the adult population. A diagnostician would frown if an adult came into their clinic claiming they had ADHD.

Exactly and the medical profession tend to ignore anecdotal experiences. It does seem silly to be given multiple diagnoses. I have Pure OCD but I really think the obsessive intrusive thoughts stem from ADHD hyoerfocus.

Negative obsessions are most often seen as OCD where as positive are either ADHD hyperfocus or Aspergers Special Interests. Is it not the same mechanism at work, why bother with different labels.

Personally I think there should be a condition called Neurodiverse Spectrum Condition or something similar that is more flexible and can cover multiple symptoms associated with different conditions.

The DSM IV TR used to carry PDD-NOS specifically for this purpose.

Yeah I know and now it's gone.

That would have been awesome. It would have been for people who have a disability but none of the other disorders cover what they have because it doesn't fit so this label would have been appropriate. This could have been my diagnoses if it actually existed.

Didn't they use Minimal Brain Dysfunction to cover all of that some decades ago? And then the label was removed because it was too vague?

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/506235

I thought that just covered Aspergers? I think they should have a general neurodiverse category and then perhaps sub-categories ADHD traits, Aspergers traits, OCD etc.

Everyone stims, just as everyone coughs.

But if you have tuberculosis, it's why you're coughing that's the issue.

Stimming doesn't mean autism. Unless the person is stimming because of autism.

It doesn't but things like Rocking, Flapping etc. are part of Autism's diagnostic criteria, therefore if someone does one of those even if they don't show many other signs, aren't they to a certain degree Autistic? It is a spectrum afterall. It's definitely not NT to be flapping or rocking for hours, even if they don't have many other ASD traits.

Up to 75% of ASD people have ADHD and there is a chance of an ADHD person having autism but I've read that autistic traits are common in ADHD. So it's very possible to stim and still not have autism but they could sure still have that symptom.

Last edited by League_Girl on 29 Mar 2017, 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Very interesting. I have also heard that some individuals seem to recover from Autism and show more of an ADHD profile. This article supports this:

https://spectrumnews.org/opinion/questi ... l-outcome/