Aspergers vs ADHD | ADHD Information

Is ADHD a result/symptom of Asperger's disorder? Or do the 2 disorders tend to coincide with one another?

I already knew I had all the symptoms of ADHD & to the extreme, but doing reading on Asperger's disorder I have all of those symptoms as well. One thing I noticed about some people I know with ADHD is that they socialize a little bit. I am absolutely anti-social. I get by the best I can around people, but when I am overworked or overstressed in the past I have completely shut down and had an episode of strange behavior. I have done this at least 3 times in my lifetime. It's like I have reached the breaking point. (screaming, crying, covering my head, rocking, humming, staring blankly off into space, emotionless gaze, head tics) When I did that I told myself to straighten up and act normal again.

Also forcing myself to act like other people gives me bad headaches. It's a huge drain on the system.

 

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Is ADHD a result/symptom of Asperger's disorder? Or do the 2 disorders tend to coincide with one another?

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Certainly no expert Riezende, but I have ADHD and suspect I have Asperger's from the information and tests available on-line. Coupled into this is my INTP personality type. They all seem very related.

If I was an accountant with ADHD, I might have fits of screaming, too!  How have you held up as an accountant with ADHD?

 I too have both ADD/ADHD and Asperger's. And there are times I am social and there are times I am not. With Asperger's I'll put it to you as my psychiatrist told me many times: "People with asperger's are like cats in a dog world, and there are times they have to be a dog." Anyways, have you been evaluated by a neuropsychologist for Asperger's? Hope everything turns out okay for you. 

Livingwithadd, thanks for the distinction...a quik follow-up question...

I guess that it'd not be too surprising for an ADD'er to actually do very very well across-the-board at school (in academics and sports)...all the while being characteristically off-centre in social interactions--they "get it", but just find it difficult to pull it off.

I guess that it'd be less likely for an Asperger-er to excel across the curriculum and in sports (altho' they could very well be phenomenal in one/a small-cluster-of subject(s))...again I'd expect the off-centre social interactions--but now because they don't "get it" at all. 

how's my guessing?

It's such a fine line between the different disorders - ADHD alone has at least 3 different subsets now, as well as conduct disorder.  Asperger's syndrome is seemingly now an often connected but not necessarily directly so disorder that comes alongside to ADHD.  Very much a form of Autism I'm to understand.

I certainly have one subset of ADHD (inattentive) with CD (lesser as an adult but very severe as preteen/teen).  I just could not stay fixed on any one person/topic very long, and as reizende also mentioned - I was considered rude often.  My exgf often told me her family and friends thought me rude as I would not make eye contact often with them as I spoke.  It either seemed unimportant - or often I felt it uncomfortable making eye contact as it always lead me to try to assess how they were looking at me (usually thought they disapproved of me).

The important part of all this seems to be that to have any part of these disorders the assessment should be a strong disruption in normal conditions of 2 or more aspects of normal life (school, interpersonal, work, children/parents, etc.).  The details get worked out after that but it comes down to you have to be more messed up than the normal kid/adult to be truly ADHD/CD or have asperger's.

I'm no expert - but I'm reading all information I can get my hands on.  I've been in behavior therapy and on a medical regimen for 8 months now and find myself a very different man than I started as at the beginning of my journey.

Oh, by the way hi everyone!  My first time here.  Hope I'm not overstepping bounds but I find myself wanting to help where I can.

  Reizende
  You just have really bad adhd.  After working with someone with severe autism I felt compelled to ask my Psych.  I identified so much with this person that I was positive I must have some ppd.  He said that they present similarly but the difference was what you got distracted with and how you obcess.

I am in accounting but its mostly just printing reports all day. The long, boring mundane details of an office job x 10.

As far the the mentioning of socials skills...people correct me all the time for being rude and I sit back and try to sort it out in my head and I just don't get it. I mean, maybe I don't notice I am chewing like a cow. Then they tell me thats rude and I recall chewing with my mouth open. I can understand hearing a chomping noise would be annoying, but not understanding why thats necessarily rude. Because eating with your mouth open is a man-made underlying rule that society deems as inappropriate. Then my next logical thought is why so-and-so is trying to be like everyone else and why do they personally think its rude. I think so literally that people can't really tell jokes. But I can't consciously correct things like that most times. It just happens, and you can tell me again in another 5 minutes because I will have forgotten again to act appropriate.

BTW:  re:  similarity/overlap of Asperger/ADHD...I noticed that the company, native remedies marketing alternative meds for these recommend the same product "ADHD Focus" for both of these...see

  http://www.nativeremedies.com/aspergers-syndrome-asperger-di sorder.shtml

We may prefer "ADD/ADHD" or "Asperger"...but unfortunately to non-affected mundanes we get diagnosed simply as garden-variety "Asshole"...the prescribed treatment for which, of course, is garden-variety ostracism.

I'd never even heard of Asperger before this post.  Damn...seems a LOT like Classic "with-hyperactivity" ADD (aka ADHD).  Even a better fit for me, subjectively,  in many ways than ADHD...but POT-AY-TO/POT-AH-TO (Asperger, ADHD, Asshole)...it all works out the same...socially misunderstoond.

I've written off ever having a satisfying social life and hyper-focus/transfer/compensate/"whatever other jargon you prefer to describe this" on being the fittest damn social misfit I can be.  I've decided to enjoy my 4-hour h&b ritual (topped off with a raw-egg-yolk facial mask)...

If you're born with weak vision you develop your hearing and smell and avoid situations depending heavily on sight.  So why not avoid all but the essential social occasions and purposefully over-develop in OTHER positive areas (might I suggest physical-health-related ones...the "spillover benefits" being so great). 

Vive la transferance. 

One difference I have noticed between people with ADD and People with Aspergers is the difference in problem with Socail skills. Many time people with ADD just never picked up certain social skills or they have trouble using thing because of attentional issues. Usually when a certain skill or issues is explained to a person with ADD they understand why people do that. Sometimes they don't agree with it but the still get it.

Many people with Apsergers just don't seem to get the reason behind certain social skills. Many times they see things in black and white and just don't get why it's expected to do certain things in social settings.