How many of you think ADD\ADHD is on the autism spectrum?

tryinghard

New Member
I have long believed that ADD\ADHD is on the autism spectrum. I notice similarities in my son and a friends son who is autistic. She was the first one who ever said anything to me about my difficult child being "different" when he was three and her son was seven. She said, "when he gets to school the good news is there is a lot of support for kids like ours". I was so hurt , shocked and confused by her comments. My son was not like hers! But alas...there were many subtle similarities and she noticed them.

I sometimes wonder if the rise in ADD\ADHD in 80's and 90's hasn't transferred \ morphed into the Austism increases we see now. Last statistic I saw was 1 in every 100 births is autistic. I believe the increase we saw in ADD|ADHD was the beginning of the increases we are seeing now in Autism.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
There are similarities. But then there are many disorders that are very similar to other disorders.

I suppose only time will tell.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I absolutely think that ADHD is a mild form of autism. I always have thought so. The symptoms and problems are very similar. Most Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids are first dxd. with ADHD.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I just don't know. I am aware of reasoning on both sides of this. I do think most parents with a mentally ill child get the ADHD diagnosis first, then other dxes come later. Not sure why.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Interesting...I hadn't thought of this. I need to do some more reading before I can give you an answer.
 

tryinghard

New Member
I found a book a few years ago written by a lady whose three sons were orginally diagnosis'd as ADHD. After additional testing they were diagnosis'd as autistic. She drew on all the simlarities.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
I think there are sufficient similarities for this to be considered.

However, it's important to realise that Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), autism etc are descriptive labels on what is part of the spectrum of human variation.

A rainbow is a spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from radio waves to infra-red, through to visible light then ultra-violet, X-rays, gamma rays etc. We define the spectrum of visible light based on what the human eye can detect. But there is variation in this, from one person to another. And in the animal kingdom there are species which see into the infra-red, or the ultra-violet. So the way we set the limits on what we call "visible light" is arbitrary.

In the same way, the definition of autism is a spectrum, sure, but the boundaries are arbitrary. I believe those boundaries have been widened in recent years and could well be widened again. each time, there are more who subsequently fit the description.

I do believe that ADHD is sufficiently similar as to one day, if not already, be lumped in with autism if the boundaries are extended far enough.

Marg
 

Pam R

New Member
I think my ADD son is definitely on the spectrum. But so far, outside of mentioning his "autistic" behaviors, it's not been diagnosis'd as such. Hoping the new testing and evaluation will document what we see day in, day out.

Pam R.
 
Mine was diagnosis'd with ADD at first. Then ADD & Asperger's. I think there's a connection. It should be on the spectrum. A lot of the behaviors mask one another.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
I've always thought it was at the very low end of the spectrum.

We've known since preschool that the difficult child's had ADHD. This year as we are working on an IEP for difficult child 2, there are some who are raising the question of whether he also has Asperger's because of some behaviors he has. But he doesn't have all the hallmarks. And if you look at some of his behaviors out of context, it's easy to misinterpret them (especially if you're a particularly dense school staff member who's LOOKING for a particular label to slap on someone). That's where a view that a disorder can present in varying degrees along a spectrum helps. Of course, that doesn't allow for a neat and tidy diagnosis, does it?
 

tammyjh

New Member
I read an article some time ago that there are some who question whether ADHD/ADD should be added to the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) spectrum. Its interesting to think about.
 
Top