“AuDHD” is the term more and more people are using to describe being both autistic and ADHD, and it’s showing up everywhere from TikTok to psychology journals for good reason. Autism and ADHD were, for a long time, treated as mutually exclusive diagnoses. We now know that’s not how it actually works for a huge number of people, and the overlap has its own distinct pattern of traits, strengths, and struggles.
Why the Overlap Gets Missed
Autism and ADHD can look like they’re pulling in opposite directions. Autistic traits often involve a pull toward routine, predictability, and deep focus, while ADHD traits often involve novelty-seeking, impulsivity and differences in sustaining attention. When both are present, they can mask or dampen each other, which is a big part of why AuDHD is so often missed, misread as “just anxiety,” or picked up years later than either condition would have been alone. Masking, especially for people socialised as women, adds another layer, since a lot of AuDHD presentations don’t match the outdated, narrow stereotypes clinicians were trained on.
What an AuDHD Assessment Looks Like at Unfurl
We offer both autism and ADHD assessments, and for those who suspect they might have both, we can combine the two assessment streams so you’re not stuck repeating your story to two different clinicians or paying for two entirely separate processes. Everything is done via telehealth, at a pace that works for you, with a neuroaffirming clinician who is looking for how your brain actually works, not just ticking boxes against a deficit-based checklist.
Common Lived-Experience Signs
This isn’t a diagnostic checklist, just some patterns that often come up for AuDHD folks before they’re assessed: needing routine and structure but also craving novelty and getting bored fast, intense focus on niche interests alongside a scattered, hard-to-organise mind, sensory sensitivities paired with impulsivity, and a lifelong feeling of being “too much” and “not enough” at the same time. If a lot of this sounds familiar, it might be worth exploring further with a clinician rather than trying to self-diagnose from a listicle.
Getting Assessed and Supported
Whether you’re after a formal assessment, post-diagnosis support, or just somewhere to talk it through with someone who won’t make you justify your brain, we’re here for it. Have a look at our Autism Assessment and ADHD Assessment pages, or get in touch to ask about a combined AuDHD assessment pathway.
