# Possible ASD (level 1)/asperger - URL: https://numo.ai/community/Ab3WeQAsKwM7jnQ3fWiC/possible-asd-level-1asperger - Language: en - Author: @ohmu. - Posted: 2023-06-11T17:14:25.403Z - Updated: 2023-06-13T09:49:12.529Z - Tag: question - Comments: 14 - Likes: 6 I have felt for a while that my ADD/ADHD-PI doesn't tell the whole picture. I've done several autism/Asperger assessments and they all give high scores, which could indicate ASD. I find it hard to find good info about how this combination might present in an individual. I can only find info on either ASD or ADHD in isolation. I wonder if someone (or a family member) with this combination has some stories or descriptions of how this might present/look like. I have issues with the following, but there is such a big overlap with ADHD: - Sounds/lighting being very uncomfortable. Sounds especially often lead to me having to walk away from a situation - Sensitive to smells - Clothes not being comfortable (to some extent) - Get extremely obsessed with an idea or hobby, to the point of not being able to do anything else - Get very frustrated when I have to change how I do things. Not so much when I do things. - Have a really hard time figuring out what is the right thing in certain situations. I tend to go with the initial plan in a quite literal manner (in case of instructions), with no room for flexibility until someone tell me an alternative - Strong sense of right and wrong and have a hard time deviating from it (flexibility) - Frequently misunderstand people - Frequently have issues making myself understood/getting my point across - Have a hard time showing my feelings through facial expressions (even with family members), and often feel like I have to force a smile or exaggerate facial expressions. It's not that I don't have feelings, they're just very internal. - Stimming... but might as well be fidgeting šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø Especially while lying in bed I have movements that are involuntary, like twitching my head or legs. And rubbing my feet (to the point of getting "rub marks") ## Comments (7) ### @ohmu. ā€” 2023-11-28T13:30:44.385Z Thank you for sharing!! I definitely recognize many of the things you mentioned. Since writing this post I've gotten diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, with autistic tendencies. ### @bubblesbling ā€” 2023-11-25T21:40:48.474Z I am pretty sure I have autism too. I have all of those things you just listed and also, plans cannot change without atleast 2 weeks notice for anything. Although I like novelty from adhd I like predictability and repetition. I want to try new foods but the idea of buying something and hating it feels like failure that I must avoid at all costs. I also am very sensitive to noise. Moreso than most people I have ever met with just adhd. I would also say that my hyperfocus leans more toward a combo with 'special interest' aka a never ending obsession with a subject or thing for my whole life. I loved rockets and trains/cars/buses etc. As a child (still obsessed with rockets and fighter jets. This might not sound like an autism thing, but I'm a psychosocial worker professionally too and there are SO MANY people with autism that loved planes/trains etc. Also, I have a big problem with textures, specific noises like mouth sounds, crunchy wet slimy. Sounds bad but I am like a cat with water. It's a big struggle for me to even wash my hands. Thank God for hand sanitiser. It's not just the executive functioning, it's the sensory. I take a lot of things very literally. Makes me seem dumb to other people. But I know I'm really smart! It just doesn't look that was to neurotypical people who only see the face value things that I make mistakes with and can't look past them! ### @ohmu. ā€” 2023-06-14T11:46:22.866Z Looking at this a couple of days later, I think that everything that I have listed can be part of inattentive ADHD. ### @ohmu. ā€” 2023-06-12T05:40:46.993Z To the point of getting assessed by a professional: I've been struggling with depression and anxiety my whole life, and I have been on different medications and done countless hours of therapy. The last bout was really bad, and I ended up in 24/7 psychiatric care for 2 weeks. I've since been told by several doctors and two therapists that I have ADHD (most likely the type without a lot of hyperactivity). I did an official assessment to be put on a waiting list last summer, where it said "suspected ADD and autism". The issue here in Stockholm, Sweden (and probably elsewhere), is that the waiting time to get a full assessment by professionals is 2+ years. So yes: I want to get am official diagnosis and try out ADHD meds. In the meantime my head will spin and analyze everything. I have a therapist doing CBT with for now (as well as my medicine; venlafaxine and bupropion) ### @KushiKat ā€” 2023-06-12T05:30:14.588Z I also feel like I have symptoms from both sides that kind of erase each other. Many of what you described. I have decided that I want an official diagnosis now as I cannot keep guessing and worrying ### @Midwest Lady ā€” 2023-06-12T01:45:56.560Z Jonas, I tried for year's to self diagnose myself for depression. (wasn't aware of the ADHD then.) I even had a doctor that would prescribe the anti-depressant Iā€™d self researched. The results weren't stellar. Finally I went to a practitioner specializing in mental health. She selected a medication and therapy that worked. Wow! She later correctly diagnosed ADHD, a big contributor to the depression. Am I symptom free? No, of course not, but I wonder were I'd be if I'd continued to self-diagnose. Not in a good place. There is a reason they have hours of additional classes and even more hours in real life training in diagnosis. I don't think your symptoms sound like Asperger's. But since I'm not a mental health expert, I won't say more. ### @nikihd008 ā€” 2023-06-12T00:05:58.685Z Going through the same thing myself, I relate very much to all your symptoms. Also with my son..he's only 9, just went back on a trial of meds for ADHD for only 5 days and immediately he was intensely overstimulated and symptoms were worse.