ADD and Aspergers (Very similar behaviours?)

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I had a look at the problems some people on the addforums are facing and they almost are the same...

This is ADD, not the ADHD hyperactive version.

Eye contact, talking to yourself, repetitive actions, HYPERFOCUS?

The only difference is the focus of interests, which makes me think that people who have changing obsessions might actually be ADD? Or those who do not have a very strong special interest. Nevertheless, a person with ADD might have one particular obsession, which thus causes confusion for the whole diagnosis.

At the moment, I am not really familiar with ADD, but I am going to try and find out more. However, I have never been the person to interrupt the class though or have friends.. o_O. Very weird.

Jealous!

Yes, can manifest similarly. Many folks diagnosed with asperger's also have adhd diagnosis.

As a person who has AS and doesn't have ADD or ADHD I don't feel they are similar at all.

Hmmmmm.....

I have ADHD, and OCD. When you add both, lots of symptoms overlap with AS. All these things overlap so much, it can be quite confusing.

The main difference is that to have AS you need some sort of communication, or social difficulty, that is not really present in ADD or ADHD. (Reading emotions, faces, etc.)

I am done trying to figure out what I have. I am ok with just being different and weird. Not sure what box I fit in, don't really care anymore.

I was diagnosed ADHD/ADD as a child but that was rediagnosed as Asperger's when I was older. I guess they can look very similar

Interestingly, I did some research on ADD over a year ago for a friend and, while there were a few elements of it I identified with, it really wasn't a "lightbulbs" moment like Aspergers was. I have never thought I had ADD, but I am pretty well convinced I have AS. I can't remember what the differences are now (I haven't gone back to the info on ADD since) but they were obviously clear enough to me to make the difference between thinking I have something and not.

I have an ADD diagnosis - however superficial - it consisted of a couple of screening quizzes and a prescription for Concerta. (Essentially slow-release ritalin)

So I can tell you a little bit about it - because to some degree, I found it fits me. However, when I got the dx 3 years ago, I already had my suspicions about having AS/ASD.

That being said, I can tell you (from my own, very subjective experience) where some of the overlap exists:

Keep in mind, I am most likely in the inattentive subtype group and not ADHD - so that means I have always been quiet, shy, kept a low profile. I don't have a lot of the impulsiveness that you would have with ADD. In fact, very little.

Hyperfocusing - is very possible. I do it a lot, but less so on Concerta

Stimming - can be attributed to hyperactivity. Fidgeting, scratching, etc. is very common, even self-harming. I've found it lessened by Concerta (till it wears off)

Social anxiety, communication problems, visual cues, etc - could also be due to attentional difficulties - which seems to be the case for me. OR it could be sensory overload. (Pretty sure I have auditory processing issues.) 6 of one/half dozen, etc...

Obsessive & ruminative thinking - common feature to both, as well as OCD - which I was convinced I had for some time. (Note I'm also dysthymic, which likely stems from this.)

From what I understand, both conditions have much to do with executive functioning and working memory - but ADD seems to have more to do with problems with planning and strategizing. Autism, not so much.. (Or so I think?)

Hope that helps a bit... I'm guessing I might have made it more confusing though..

This was the site I found when I was looking into ADD in adults for my friend - it had a lot of useful information on it as well as a forum and is specifically for adults with ADD/ADHD

AADDUK

Additude Magazine is another good resource. The articles & forums helped me a lot when I was first diagnosed.

Another thing I was thinking about was the concept of "Theory of Mind" - that seems to be a bigger issue with autism and less so with ADD/ADHD. But I'm no expert.. I'm sure it can exist in both. That is likely the case with me, as I keep finding out the hard way..