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Differences between ADHD and Aspergers

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selin
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18 Jul 2015, 2:10 pm

I came across this list of symptoms for ADHD and many of these include social abnormalities or difficulties which remind me of Aspergers. So I ask, apart from sensory sensitivities and difficulty recognising nonverbal cues, what other differences are there between ADHD and Aspergers?

I actually relate to almost all of these such that I'm now a bit confused. I've been diagnosed with Aspergers but not ADHD. I'm an aspie who scored 28 (high) in the "Reading the mind in the eyes" test and scored as an empath in the empathy quotient test. My sensory issues are also quite mild compared to those of other aspies.

(ADHD symptoms I think I don't have: tendency to take risks (hell no), craving excitement (hmm...I actually like things quiet and can get excited by something as simple as a song)

Common ADD / ADHD Symptoms:

“zoning out” without realizing it, even in the middle of a conversation
extreme distractibility; wandering attention makes it hard to stay on track
difficulty paying attention or focusing, such as when reading or listening to others
struggling to complete tasks, even ones that seem simple
tendency to overlook details, leading to errors or incomplete work
poor listening skills; hard time remembering conversations and following directions
poor organizational skills (home, office, desk, or car is extremely messy and cluttered)
tendency to procrastinate
trouble starting and finishing projects
chronic lateness
frequently forgetting appointments, commitments, and deadlines
constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills)
underestimating the time it will take you to complete tasks
frequently interrupt others or talk over them
have poor self-control
blurt out thoughts that are rude or inappropriate without thinking
have addictive tendencies
act recklessly or spontaneously without regard for consequences
have trouble behaving in socially appropriate ways
feelings of inner restlessness, agitation
tendency to take risks
getting bored easily
racing thoughts
trouble sitting still; constant fidgeting
craving for excitement
talking excessively
doing a million things at once



endognosis
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18 Jul 2015, 3:28 pm

Heya... it sounds like we have very similar situations. I can't post URLs because I'm new, but I just yesterday made a thread in the "In-depth adult" board called "Just turned thirty". I grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and a brother with Asperger's Syndrome, tend to be very empathic, and I'm just now starting to research the possibility that ADHD isn't the only thing going on for me.

I'm afraid I don't have any good answers for you; I know a lot about ADHD but comparatively quite little about Autism Spectrum Disorders. But, I was so struck by the similarities that I had to mention it.



Rudin
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18 Jul 2015, 7:26 pm

selin wrote:
I came across this list of symptoms for ADHD and many of these include social abnormalities or difficulties which remind me of Aspergers. So I ask, apart from sensory sensitivities and difficulty recognising nonverbal cues, what other differences are there between ADHD and Aspergers?

I actually relate to almost all of these such that I'm now a bit confused. I've been diagnosed with Aspergers but not ADHD. I'm an aspie who scored 28 (high) in the "Reading the mind in the eyes" test and scored as an empath in the empathy quotient test. My sensory issues are also quite mild compared to those of other aspies.

(ADHD symptoms I think I don't have: tendency to take risks (hell no), craving excitement (hmm...I actually like things quiet and can get excited by something as simple as a song)

Common ADD / ADHD Symptoms:

“zoning out” without realizing it, even in the middle of a conversation
extreme distractibility; wandering attention makes it hard to stay on track
difficulty paying attention or focusing, such as when reading or listening to others
struggling to complete tasks, even ones that seem simple
tendency to overlook details, leading to errors or incomplete work
poor listening skills; hard time remembering conversations and following directions
poor organizational skills (home, office, desk, or car is extremely messy and cluttered)
tendency to procrastinate

chronic lateness
frequently forgetting appointments, commitments, and deadlines
constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills)
underestimating the time it will take you to complete tasks
frequently interrupt others or talk over them
have poor self-control
blurt out thoughts that are rude or inappropriate without thinking
have addictive tendencies
act recklessly or spontaneously without regard for consequences
have trouble behaving in socially appropriate ways
feelings of inner restlessness, agitation
tendency to take risks
getting bored easily
racing thoughts
trouble sitting still; constant fidgeting
craving for excitement
talking excessively
doing a million things at once


I think what your saying is some of the symptoms for ASD and ADHD overlap, which is true. They are not the same. Some of the symptoms of ADHD apply to certain people with ASD like excessive talking, fidgeting, excitement, trouble starting and finishing projects etc. some of these don't apply to people like me with ASD.

There are two types of autistic people:

#2:Active but odd
#1:In his/her own world

I'm more of a Class 2 aspie rather than a Class 1 however I do, at times, display traits of #1.


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whatamess
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18 Jul 2015, 8:06 pm

DIFFERENCES ADHD AND AS

Asperger’s Syndrome

all-absorbing interest in specific topics, such as sports statistics or animals
an inability to practice nonverbal communication, like eye contact, facial expressions, or body gestures
seeming unable to empathize or understand another person’s feelings
a monotone pitch or lack of rhythm when speaking
missing motor skill development mile markers, such as catching a ball or bouncing a basketball

ADHD

easily distracted and forgetful
learning difficulties due to problems processing information accurately and quickly
a need to touch or play with everything, especially in a new environment
very impatient and often unable to wait their turn
reacting without restraint when upset or bothered, or without consideration for others



catalina
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18 Jul 2015, 8:12 pm

usually people with add/adhd don´t have problems indentifying emotions



selin
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19 Jul 2015, 3:51 am

whatamess wrote:
DIFFERENCES ADHD AND AS

Asperger’s Syndrome

all-absorbing interest in specific topics, such as sports statistics or animals
an inability to practice nonverbal communication, like eye contact, facial expressions, or body gestures
seeming unable to empathize or understand another person’s feelings
a monotone pitch or lack of rhythm when speaking
missing motor skill development mile markers, such as catching a ball or bouncing a basketball

ADHD

easily distracted and forgetful
learning difficulties due to problems processing information accurately and quickly
a need to touch or play with everything, especially in a new environment
very impatient and often unable to wait their turn
reacting without restraint when upset or bothered, or without consideration for others


Thank you, I can see where I fall into this, i.e both asperger's and adhd



Eric2971
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20 Jul 2015, 1:05 pm

Quote:
Children with Asperger’s Disorder and children with ADHD usually want to have friends. Both groups have poor rite-of-entry skills and both groups play badly. Yet both groups usually fail socially for different reasons. Their recipes for play failures have different ingredients. What often turns on a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is behavior so unusual and idiosyncratic that it can be unfathomable even to another child with Asperger’s. Children with ADHD frequently break rules they understand, but defy and dislike. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome like rules, and break the ones they don’t understand. They are ever alert to injustice and unfairness and, unfortunately, these are invariably understood from their own nonnegotiable perspective. Children with ADHD are often oppositional in the service of seeking attention. Children with Asperger’s disorder are oppositional in the service of avoiding something that makes them anxious. Both groups have serious sensory integration problems, can be uncoordinated and impulsive, and they both very much respond positively to structure and routine. The children with Asperger’s, however, crave order, hate discrepancy, and explode (or withdraw) in the face of violation of expectations. In this regard, they are enormously brittle and fragile. Children with Asperger’s are much more tyrannized by details; they accumulate them, and cannot prioritize them. Children with ADHD also have poor organizational skills, but can be much more fluid in their thinking, more inferential in their comprehension, and less rigid in their treatment of facts that they are able to organize.

Of course these are all generalizations. There is always the child who is the exception. Whatever their profile, whatever their label, both the child with ADHD and the child with Asperger’s syndrome require us to change our assumptions about relationships and our expectations about behavior. They are both demanding, confusing, exhausting, and frustrating. Inside, each is a child who needs tolerance, our informed understanding, our thoughtful interventions, our patience, and our love.


From here Aspergers and ADHD


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21 Jul 2015, 11:02 am

Eric2971 wrote:
Quote:
Children with Asperger’s Disorder and children with ADHD usually want to have friends. Both groups have poor rite-of-entry skills and both groups play badly. Yet both groups usually fail socially for different reasons. Their recipes for play failures have different ingredients. What often turns on a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is behavior so unusual and idiosyncratic that it can be unfathomable even to another child with Asperger’s. Children with ADHD frequently break rules they understand, but defy and dislike. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome like rules, and break the ones they don’t understand. They are ever alert to injustice and unfairness and, unfortunately, these are invariably understood from their own nonnegotiable perspective. Children with ADHD are often oppositional in the service of seeking attention. Children with Asperger’s disorder are oppositional in the service of avoiding something that makes them anxious. Both groups have serious sensory integration problems, can be uncoordinated and impulsive, and they both very much respond positively to structure and routine. The children with Asperger’s, however, crave order, hate discrepancy, and explode (or withdraw) in the face of violation of expectations. In this regard, they are enormously brittle and fragile. Children with Asperger’s are much more tyrannized by details; they accumulate them, and cannot prioritize them. Children with ADHD also have poor organizational skills, but can be much more fluid in their thinking, more inferential in their comprehension, and less rigid in their treatment of facts that they are able to organize.

Of course these are all generalizations. There is always the child who is the exception. Whatever their profile, whatever their label, both the child with ADHD and the child with Asperger’s syndrome require us to change our assumptions about relationships and our expectations about behavior. They are both demanding, confusing, exhausting, and frustrating. Inside, each is a child who needs tolerance, our informed understanding, our thoughtful interventions, our patience, and our love.


From here Aspergers and ADHD


I'm ASD with an ADHD husband, MIL, and son. That's a pretty good breakdown right there.

I will make a catastrophically stupid social mistake. I can avoid it, but only by either memorizing and adhering to Other People's Rules for that situation or by not putting myself in that situation to begin with. I can "think it through" 500 times and still make the mistake, because it looks OK to me.

My husband, son, and MIL will make the same mistake. They can avoid it, but only by constantly reminding themselves to stop and think of what's going to happen if they do or say that. There doesn't seem to be any question of avoiding the situation. IF they can remember to "think it through," they'll be OK, but that's a mighty big IF.


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selin
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22 Jul 2015, 4:32 pm

I'm ASD with an ADHD husband, MIL, and son. That's a pretty good breakdown right there.

I will make a catastrophically stupid social mistake. I can avoid it, but only by either memorizing and adhering to Other People's Rules for that situation or by not putting myself in that situation to begin with. I can "think it through" 500 times and still make the mistake, because it looks OK to me.

My husband, son, and MIL will make the same mistake. They can avoid it, but only by constantly reminding themselves to stop and think of what's going to happen if they do or say that. There doesn't seem to be any question of avoiding the situation. IF they can remember to "think it through," they'll be OK, but that's a mighty big IF.[/quote]


I'm sort of like the second one...or maybe both? I have been diagnosed with Asperger's. The example I'm thinking of is when I want to share something that might be too much information or 'oversharing'. I sometimes think through what might be the effects of me sharing that information. Sometimes I'm just not sure because there seems to be so many different possible outcomes. I don't necessarily imagine them all I just assume other people are unpredictable and sometimes you just can't know how they will respond or what they will think. Whenever I think things through like this I decide that I simply won't share it just to be on the safe side. When i'm tired I'm more likely to share information that is probably "too much" because I've forgotten to think it through beforehand. I can tell it's too much when I feel that i'm getting uncomfortably emotionally involved in the story i'm telling or when the other person doesn't have very much to say in response. Sometimes when I end up "oversharing" I feel that I'm about to confront feelings that I don't necessarily want to confront in front of a particular person because they are someone I have just met or someone I don't feel that comfortable around for other reasons. Does that make sense?