Expert / 19 November, 2024 / My Baba
As an ADHD Coach, I’ve labored with quite a few kids who’ve ADHD over time, lots of whom additionally confirmed indicators of undiagnosed autism. It wasn’t my place to deal with it, however after I not too long ago acquired my very own autism prognosis, I can see how each situations have manifested in my life since childhood, hidden in plain sight, similar to these kids.
What is AuDHD?
AuDHD is a time period used to explain individuals who have each autism and ADHD. These distinct and typically contradictory neurodevelopmental situations share overlapping signs, corresponding to govt functioning challenges, a capability to ‘hyper-focus’ on matters of curiosity, and behavioural variations.
Autism and ADHD affect mind improvement, affecting how an individual perceives, processes, and interacts with the world. While autism is typically related to variations in social communication and sensory processing, ADHD is primarily linked to challenges with consideration, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These situations collectively could also be arduous to establish, particularly when indicators of 1 situation masks or mix with one other.
Researchers have recognized a co-occurrence price of between 50-70%, regardless of these situations solely been diagnosable in the identical individual since 2013 within the UK.
Formal prognosis could also be troublesome to entry, however understanding AuDHD traits can allow you to successfully perceive and help your little one, empowering them to just accept themselves precisely as they’re.
How AuDHD Presents Differently
Here’s how AuDHD might present up in a baby:
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Social interactions and communication
Children with autism typically navigate the world in a different way in social conditions, whereas ADHD can carry impulsivity and a heightened want for stimulation. When a baby has AuDHD, they could expertise challenges from each views.
For instance, they could interrupt continuously or miss social cues attributable to impulsivity (ADHD) and should wrestle with understanding others’ feelings (autism). This mixture can result in misunderstandings or emotions of isolation in social settings, with 68% of AuDHD kids having skilled faculty refusal behaviour attributable to bullying.
To help your little one with this, you possibly can discuss to them concerning the causes behind challenges, serving to to elucidate how misunderstandings in social communication might come up. It’s strongly advisable to show them safeguarding abilities, corresponding to with scripts for asking for assist, and coordinating this with their academics.
Empowering neurodivergent kids to attach within the ways in which work for them, corresponding to on-line, can facilitate peer help. For instance, they could get pleasure from attending a social membership specializing in an space of curiosity with structured social interactions.
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Sensory processing variations
Children with AuDHD might expertise heightened and complicated sensory sensitivities. As a baby, I’d typically grasp the other way up from a tree, looking for adrenaline, stimulation, and robust sensations in my physique – which I undoubtedly felt after I fell!
AuDHD-ers might expertise over- or under-sensitivity with experiences corresponding to sound, sight, contact, and interoception. They might wrestle with recognising bodily indicators, corresponding to starvation or needing to go to the lavatory, search out experiences corresponding to rocking on their chair, and keep away from sure garments, meals, or environments.
These wants could also be compounded by seemingly ‘naughty’ behaviour, corresponding to shouting or taking dangers corresponding to working away from residence, as I did.
By serving to your little one perceive and establish their sensory experiences, you possibly can assist them meet their very own wants. Co-creating methods and enabling boundaried management the place attainable, corresponding to by serving to you to prepare dinner, might be very useful, together with educating independence.
Talking to their academics about sensory wants can even facilitate a greater studying atmosphere, with instruments corresponding to noise-cancelling headphones, fidget toys, and designated sensory-friendly areas.
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Executive functioning challenges
Both autism and ADHD impression govt functioning abilities, corresponding to planning and organisation, which might be amplified for AuDHD-ers.
They might enthusiastically begin duties, however wrestle to complete, turning into overwhelmed by a necessity for issues to be ‘perfect’, or intricate self-imposed routines which they can’t maintain.
Transitions corresponding to showering or preparing for varsity might really feel very troublesome attributable to decision-making and time administration challenges. AuDHD kids can also be very messy – after I was damaged into, the police thought burglars had trashed my bed room, however they’d simply efficiently navigated my ‘floordrobe’!
As a father or mother, you possibly can assist your little one by understanding and explaining the explanations behind these challenges, supporting them to establish methods that work for them, and breaking down duties into chunks.
Visualising time with a watch might be very useful, as can supporting them to uphold constant routines, corresponding to showering on the similar time every day or packing their bag the evening earlier than faculty.
Above all, you possibly can encourage them to establish and use their AuDHD strengths, corresponding to revolutionary problem-solving abilities, creativity, empathy, and keenness.
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Behavioural expressions
AuDHD kids might present behaviours that appear contradictory at occasions, corresponding to displaying hyperactivity in a single second earlier than turning into deeply absorbed in an curiosity the subsequent. ‘Special interests’ are widespread, with intense focus that may be troublesome to change off.
Emotional regulation challenges can also come up, with AuDHD-ers experiencing intense feelings manifesting externally as a ‘meltdown’, or internally as a ‘shutdown’, attributable to overwhelm. They could also be overly compliant with others, extraordinarily delicate to rejection, or get into bother, and hyper-aware of their variations.
They can also use a substantial amount of power masking their signs in social conditions, which may lead to intense emotional experiences after arriving again from faculty.
What can we do to assist our kids?
Collaboratively supporting your little one in studying methods to self-regulate might help them to set boundaries and self-advocate. Tailored teaching and remedy can also be extraordinarily efficient.
Explaining neurodivergence utilizing the metaphor of ‘magic’ that most individuals don’t have might help kids to recognise that with energy comes duty. It’s not an excuse for poor behaviour, however it might clarify it, equipping them with accountability and understanding.
Ultimately, it’s essential to recognise that these signs and experiences are no one’s fault and don’t have any reflection in your parenting abilities. Every little one is distinctive, and indicators might range extensively, however a supportive, understanding, and compassionate caregiver might help them perceive tips on how to work with their mind, as a substitute of towards it.
With unconditional acceptance of your little one, you possibly can work collectively to create an atmosphere the place they will thrive, utilise their strengths, and know they’re valued – precisely as they’re.
Leanne Maskell is the founder and director of ADHD teaching firm ADHD Works, and the creator of ADHD an A-Z and ADHD Works at Work.
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