ASD-related attention difficulties? (NOT necessarily ADHD)

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I've noticed that different autistic people have different kinds of attention difficulties. And I've noticed that these differing kinds of attention difficulties correspond to, and are probably a cause of, differing kinds of social difficulties.

For example, my attention difficulties are in category 3: Strong tendency to hyperfocus and ignore distractions, but extreme difficulties with multi-tasking and with shifting attention rapidly from one task or topic to another. As a result, I have extreme difficulty with unfocused chit chat with more than one person at a time. My mind needs something to focus on, either a person or a topic. So I can do chit chat with one person at a time, but, when talking to multiple people, I need the conversation to be focused on a topic. Also, my difficulties with eye contact are caused by difficulty multi-tasking between looking at someone's face and listening to the verbal content of what the person is saying.

On the other hand, among autistic people in the support groups I attend, I've noticed that those with co-occurring ADHD tend to have little or no difficulty with unfocused group chit chat. If anything, they actually tend to prefer conversations that jump around rapidly and randomly from one topic to another.

My boyfriend, who was once misdiagnosed with ADHD, has attention difficulties in category 2: extreme difficulty filtering out distractions, but can focus easily without distractions. He often experiences sensory overload, and his difficulty with eye contact is that he finds it physically painful.

I tend to focus on one thing many times. I don't like transitioning from one thing to another. I appear visibly upset when this happens--to the point where I am asked, "Is everything all right?"

I've always been a poor multi-tasker---but have improved with age. Still not good at "doing two things at once," though.

I'm sorry ... what was the question?

I'm looking at my ASD assessment report.

I did a test called BRIEF-A (Behaviour Regulation Inventory of Executive Function -- Adult). On this test, I was ranked at >99th percentile for difficulties with switching focus, inhibition (stopping focus), self-monitoring (knowing when to switch focus), and task monitoring.

I did a test called "Trail Making Test" to measure multi-tasking, simultaneous processing, and divided attention. I scored "below average" on the Trail test.

Another test was called "Verbal Fluency" which involved shifting between concepts with speech. For example, I was asked to name a fruit and then a piece of furniture, over and over again ... to change my train of thought while speaking. My category fluency, category switching accuracy and category switching correct responses were all "below average".

My report says: "Isabella's low scores on the switching tasks suggest significant concern regarding cognitive switching".

I don't think I was tested for ADHD at all. I don't see those words on my assessment anywhere.

My attention issues are inconsistent. Annoyingly inconsistent.
The only suspect I have is something to do with of sleep quality. Because it's remains unresolved and just as inconsistent. It's hangs between bad to worse for a year now.


Sometimes I can focus or cannot focus well -- with or without distractions, with or without sensory bombardment tolerances, with or without 'sense of time' and/or 'priority', with or without 'mental gear switch' control, etc.
The 'why' is mostly about limited working memory, sometimes it is how it is usually conveyed: competing stimuli, even with working memory there's regulation and tolerance. And so on.

Sometimes it does looked like full-blown ADD or worse, sometimes I get super executive function instead -- and everything in between with varying durations, and largely ignoring most factors like what food I ate or past/current activity and present circumstances/status like sensory noise or emotional states.
There are even times that I suddenly gain or lose any EF abilities or issues in the middle of the day, with no apparent 'trigger'.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

I occasionally get so hyperfocused on a particular task, interest or objective, that any interruption to my thought process no matter how well intentioned or necessary feels like an unwanted intrusion.

I can transition from one thing or another----but, in my mind, I'm kicking and screaming during the transition!

It's.. complicated?
I'd say I guess some mix between 1 and 3 is close ish.
There are times I can't focus on anything at all, even if I really care about it.
Intense, deep, brain fog mixes in, pain mixes in, everything mixes together into one big mess.

Combined-type ADHD. Problems with transitions and multitasking. Moderate autism.

Define multitasking.

If playing computer games while eating my dinner (one hand on the mouse and the other hand holding the fork) counts as multitasking, then I'm great at multitasking.

Multitasking as in keeping your attention on two or more mental tasks at once.