What Is AuDHD?

AuDHD is a term many people use to describe having both Autism and ADHD. While it is not a separate clinical diagnosis, it reflects a very real and increasingly recognized lived experience.

Many people with AuDHD spend years feeling like no single explanation fully fits:

• ADHD explains some things
• Autism explains other things
• But neither alone tells the full story

If you’ve ever thought, “Parts of this resonate, but something’s still missing,” you’re not alone.

What AuDHD Can Look Like in Daily Life

AuDHD often feels like your brain is balancing two opposing needs at once. You may experience:

• A strong need for structure but difficulty maintaining routines
• Craving predictability while also feeling restless or under stimulated
• Deep hyper focus followed by sudden burnout
• Sensory overwhelm paired with distractability
• Intense emotions alongside shutdowns or masking
• Feeling “too much” and “not enough” at the same time
• Social connection that feels meaningful, yet exhausting

Many adults with AuDHD are creative, intelligent, empathetic, and highly capable, but are worn down by years of masking, overcompensating, or trying to meet expectations that were never designed for how their brain works.

 

Why So Many People Are Only Discovering AuDHD Now

If you’re identifying with AuDHD later in life, there’s a reason this may not have been recognized earlier, and it’s not because it was “missed.”

Until 2013, clinicians in the U.S. were not allowed to formally diagnose ADHD and Autism together under the DSM-IV-TR, the diagnostic system used at the time. Providers had to choose one diagnosis, even when traits of both were clearly present.

When the DSM-5 was published in 2013, this restriction was removed. Clinicians could finally diagnose co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions, including comorbid ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This change validated what many individuals had been living with all along.

What This Means for Adults, Teens, and Kids Today

 

Because dual diagnosis wasn’t possible for so long, many people, especially:

 

• Adults
• Women and girls
• Nonbinary individuals
• High-masking or high-achieving individuals

were often misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression, burnout, or labeled as “high functioning.” Others were told their struggles were behavioral, motivational, or personality-based rather than neurological.

This is why AuDHD therapy for adults, teens, and children has become increasingly important. Many people are now revisiting earlier diagnoses or exploring neurodivergence for the first time, and finally finding clarity.

When an ADHD Realization Opens the Door to Autism Questions

For many people, coming to terms with ADHD is already a big emotional shift, especially when discovery happens in adulthood. It can take years to accept that your brain works differently and to unlearn the shame that often comes with late diagnosis.

So when ADHD finally starts to make sense, realizing there may also be autistic traits can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even destabilizing. Some people worry they’re “adding labels.” Others feel relief mixed with grief. Many think, “I just got used to this, now there’s more?”

This reaction is incredibly common.

What’s important to know is that noticing autistic traits doesn’t mean your ADHD diagnosis was wrong. It often means the picture is becoming more complete.

How Common Is the Overlap?

Research consistently shows a significant overlap between ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):

Approximately 50–70% of autistic individuals also meet criteria for ADHD

Around 20–30% of people with ADHD show clinically significant autistic traits

Among adults, especially those diagnosed later in life, overlap rates may be even higher due to earlier diagnostic limitations

This overlap is now clinically recognized as co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions or comorbid ADHD and ASD, something that could only be formally diagnosed for the last decade or so.

Why This Can Feel Emotionally Heavy

For many people, exploring autism after ADHD brings up:

• Identity questions
• Fear of being “too much”
• Concern about how others might see them
• Grief for earlier support that wasn’t available
• Relief at finally feeling understood

None of these reactions mean something is wrong. They’re a natural response to gaining deeper self-understanding.

Exploring autistic traits doesn’t take anything away from your ADHD identity; it often helps explain why certain ADHD strategies never fully worked, or why sensory, social, or emotional experiences felt harder to name.

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out All at Once

Whether you identify as ADHD, autistic, AuDHD, or are simply exploring possibilities, support can help you process this gently and at your own pace.
Understanding overlap isn’t about collecting diagnoses, it’s about building self-compassion, clarity, and support that actually fits how your brain works.

Correct Terminology: Clinical & Community Language

In clinical and medical settings, professionals may use terms such as:

• Co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions
• Comorbid ADHD and Autism
• Dual diagnosis of ADHD and ASD

 

Within neurodivergent communities, AuDHD is widely used as an identity-affirming term that reflects how ADHD and autism interact in real life. While AuDHD is not a standalone medical diagnosis, it is an accurate and meaningful way many people describe their lived experience.

Why AuDHD-Informed Therapy Matters

ADHD-only strategies don’t always work for AuDHD, and autism-only approaches can miss the ADHD component entirely. When both neurotypes are present, support must be thoughtful, flexible, and individualized.

AuDHD-informed therapy focuses on:

• Supporting executive functioning without sensory overload
• Creating flexible (not rigid) routines
• Reducing masking and chronic burnout
• Honoring sensory needs alongside attention differences
• Strengthening emotional regulation
• Building self-understanding rather than self-criticism

 

This is neurodiversity-affirming therapy, not about fixing who you are, but about supporting how your brain works.

AuDHD Support for Adults, Teens, and Kids

At Talking Works Counseling, we work with:

• Adults exploring AuDHD later in life
• Teens navigating identity, school stress, and social pressure
• Children with overlapping ADHD and autism traits
• Parents seeking clarity, guidance, and supportive strategies

Whether you’re formally diagnosed, self-identified, or still exploring, therapy can help you make sense of your experience and build tools that truly fit.

 

AuDHD Therapy in NYC

Talking Works Counseling provides AuDHD-informed ADHD therapy in NYC, serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and via telehealth across New York State.

Our approach is:

• Neurodivergent-affirming
• Trauma-informed
• Strength-based
• Practical and realistic
• Respectful of identity, culture, and lived experience

 

You don’t need to choose between structure and understanding. You deserve both.

 

Ready to Explore AuDHD Support?

If ADHD explanations haven’t fully resonated, or if you’re beginning to explore autism alongside ADHD, we’re here to help.