Idk why I saved this but this is a Venn diagram that shows Autism traits, ADHD traits, and their overlapping traits. Maybe it might help?
neurodiverse
What is Neurodivergence?
It's ADHD, Autism, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bi-polar, aspd, etc etc etc etc
“neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior”
So, it’s very broad, if you feel like it describes you then it does as far as we're concerned
Rules
1.) ableist language=post or comment will probably get removed (enforced case by case, some comments will be removed and restored due to complex situations). repeated use of ableist language=banned from comm and possibly site depending on severity. properly tagged posts with CW can use them for the purposes of discussing them
2.) always assume good faith when dealing with a fellow nd comrade especially due to lack of social awareness being a common symptom of neurodivergence
2.5) right to disengage is rigidly enforced. violations will get you purged from the comm. see rule 3 for explanation on appeals
3.) no talking over nd comrades about things you haven't personally experienced as a neurotypical chapo, you will be purged. If you're ND it is absolutely fine to give your own perspective if it conflicts with another's, but do so with empathy and the intention to learn about each other, not prove who's experience is valid. Appeal process is like appealing in user union but you dm the nd comrade you talked over with your appeal (so make it a good one) and then dm the mods with screenshot proof that you resolved it. fake screenies will get you banned from the site, we will confirm with the comrade you dm'd.
3.5) everyone has their own lived experiences, and to invalidate them is to post cringe. comments will be removed on a case by case basis depending on determined level of awareness and faith
4.) Interest Policing will not be tolerated in any form. Support your comrades in their joy!
Further rules to be added/ rules to be changed based on community input
RULES NOTE: For this community more than most we understand that the clarity and understandability of these rules is very important for allowing folks to feel comfortable, to that end please don't be afraid to be outspoken about amendments and addendums to these rules, as well as any we may have missed
One issue about these charts is often that they are not properly contextual and it gives people the wrong idea.
I would not describe myself as "easily bored", but I am "easily bored" as the pathological diagnostic criteria. The difference is that at this point in my life I have a high degree of independence, and I'm never bored. However as a child I was "easily bored" because my independence was curtailed by mandatory structure and activities. As a young adult I was easily bored for much the same reasons, etc.
Likewise the "self-diagnostic" is easy to just rack up points on. A common one on many of these kinds of charts is "losing belongings". Many people reflexively tell me that they can never find stuff so maybe they're ADHD, and I correct them every time. No you just misplace things sometimes. Things disappear to me like I don't have object permanence if I don't commit to where I'm putting them down and simply reflexively leave them somewhere.
A lot of this chart and many like it is clearly about children because most of the "problems" of being ADHD or Autistic are about having an annoying child regardless if the parent is ND or NT.
Also "giftedness" is not an ND condition and in practice you won't find people who are purely "gifted". The only definitions of giftedness as an ND condition that aren't fuzzy pablum are IQ race science things. It's practical application is only for children.
Gifted is something that was essentially defined by the US govt as someone who is so good at school they should get funding for harder classes for the good of the nation. There's a carve out for students who are "good artists" which obviously is derived from an extremely subjective and institutional understanding of art. There's also a carve out for students that are very charismatic but use their powers for "good" like student government, community service model UN or debate club, and not for "evil" like social engineering scams.
30% gifted, 70% adhd
And 100% reason to remember the name.
I'm kind of in the same place. I'm on a waiting list for an assessment. I have two therapists (one individual, one couples) and they both operate under the assumption I am AuDHD. One is autistic herself so I take that as peer review lol.
Here are my pros and cons:
Pro:
- Possible workplace accommodations. Work is very chill about needs but I would feel less guilt about asking for something someone else told me would help.
- Help identifying what accommodations I could use
- Giving me a "reason" for why I am the way I am - justification to make life changes to be more healthy and happy (vs being an absolute failure who deserves to work myself into an early grave).
- I am in a leadership position in my industry - I feel like it's my duty to let my freak flag fly, so to speak, to allow others to know they are not alone. Diagnosis would be validating and make me feel comfortable saying to a wider audience "I'm autistic". Lets be real, the ND% in my industry is well above average (extremely niche engineering discipline) but it would be nice to see people be more open about it.
Cons:
- My boss's boss is ableist as fuck although I suspect she's ND as well. I don't want to leave my job but I will not put up with any of her shit if she decides to comment on this. She's already made ableist comments to me about people being ND without knowing I am ND.
- I worry about the ability to immigrate in the future. I have no plans to, but I know that I wouldn't be able to move to my current country if I had a diagnosis. (I don't think it needs to go on my medical file as it's done outside of the health care system but IDK).
- I worry about the ability to travel to the states. I have no desire to do so currently (even though there are so many trains I want to ride and so many nature I want to see) but I do have aging family there. I was already nervous going last year with my ADHD meds but we drove and it didn't come up, but I feel like border crossing is only going to get worse.