Autism vs ADHD: What's the Difference and Can You Have Both?
Autism and ADHD can look surprisingly similar, particularly in adults.
Both can involve executive-functioning difficulties, sensory differences, emotional overwhelm, social challenges and feeling like everyday life takes more effort than it seems to take other people.
So how do you tell the difference between autism vs ADHD?
The short answer is that they are different neurodevelopmental conditions, but they can overlap significantly. And yes, you can have both.
The useful question isn't always “Which one am I?”
Sometimes it's “What pattern best explains my experiences, and what support do I need?”
Key takeaways
Autism and ADHD are different neurodevelopmental conditions.
They can overlap in executive functioning, emotional regulation, sensory experiences and social difficulties.
Autism is more centrally associated with differences in social communication and interaction, restricted or repetitive patterns, and sensory experiences.
ADHD is more centrally associated with persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity.
You can meet criteria for both autism and ADHD.
A person's actual lived experience is more complicated than a list of stereotypical traits.
Autism vs ADHD: what's the difference?
At a broad level, autism and ADHD involve different core patterns.
Autism is associated with differences in social communication and interaction, alongside restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities and sensory differences.
ADHD is associated with persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that affect everyday functioning.
But real people aren't diagnostic criteria written on a piece of paper.
Someone with ADHD might also experience sensory sensitivity.
An autistic person might struggle with attention and executive functioning.
Someone with both may experience all of these things.
That's why comparing individual traits can get confusing very quickly.
Autism vs ADHD in everyday life
Here's a simplified comparison.
Attention
With ADHD, attention can be difficult to regulate. You might struggle to focus on something that isn't stimulating, become distracted easily or become intensely absorbed in something interesting.
Autistic people can also experience intense focus, particularly around interests, but the underlying experience isn't necessarily the same as ADHD hyperfocus.
Routine
Autistic people may find predictability and routine regulating and unexpected changes difficult.
People with ADHD may want structure but struggle to create or maintain it consistently.
And if you have both?
You might desperately want a routine while being spectacularly bad at following one.
Hello, AuDHD.
Social experiences
Autism can involve differences in social communication and interaction, including how someone interprets social cues, communicates or experiences social interaction.
ADHD can also affect relationships through impulsivity, interrupting, forgetfulness, emotional regulation or difficulty maintaining attention during conversations.
Both can lead to social exhaustion, but for different reasons.
Sensory experiences
Sensory differences are particularly associated with autism, although ADHD can also involve sensory processing differences.
Someone might be sensitive to noise, light, textures, smells or physical sensations.
Some people also seek out particular sensory experiences.
Executive functioning
Executive-functioning difficulties can occur in both autism and ADHD.
For someone with ADHD, this might look like:
difficulty starting tasks
time blindness
forgetfulness
distractibility
difficulty switching attention
For an autistic person, executive functioning might be affected by:
unexpected changes
unclear expectations
transitions
cognitive overload
too many competing demands
Again, there's overlap.
Can autism and ADHD look the same?
Sometimes, yes.
For example, both an autistic person and someone with ADHD might:
forget appointments
struggle with organisation
avoid overwhelming tasks
become emotionally overwhelmed
struggle socially
experience burnout
have difficulty with transitions
become intensely interested in something
need downtime after socialising
The reason underneath the behaviour can be different.
And sometimes the reason is a combination of both.
That's why “I do this, therefore I have ADHD” isn't particularly useful on its own.
Can you have both autism and ADHD?
Yes.
Someone can meet diagnostic criteria for both autism and ADHD.
This combination is commonly referred to as AuDHD.
If you relate strongly to both autism and ADHD, you don't necessarily have to force yourself into one category.
Our AuDHD guide explores the overlap in more detail.
Autism vs ADHD in women and AFAB people
Both autism and ADHD can be missed in people who have learned to compensate, mask or meet high expectations.
Someone may appear organised while relying on an enormous amount of effort behind the scenes.
They might be:
academically successful
highly responsible
perfectionistic
socially observant
extremely anxious about making mistakes
good at copying other people's social behaviour
constantly over-prepared
None of those things rule out neurodivergence.
Sometimes the question isn't whether someone can function.
It's what functioning costs them.
Unfurl's team works with many adults exploring ADHD and autism after years of wondering why life seems harder than it “should”.
What if I relate to both?
You don't need to decide based on an online checklist.
If you're noticing lifelong patterns that you can't quite explain, an assessment can help you explore them more systematically.
At Unfurl, autism and ADHD assessments are designed to be collaborative and pressure-free. You can bring notes, questionnaires or information from people who know you well, but you don't need to arrive with a perfectly constructed case for yourself.
What happens if you are both autistic and ADHD?
Having both can mean that strategies designed for one set of needs don't always work for the other.
For example:
“Just create a routine.”
Great.
Except ADHD says: absolutely not.
Or:
“Just be spontaneous.”
Great.
Except autism says: I would like three business days' notice, thanks.
The goal isn't to choose which side wins.
It's to understand your actual needs and find ways of working with them.
How therapy can help
Therapy can be useful whether you have one diagnosis, both, or you're still figuring things out.
You might want support with:
burnout
anxiety
emotional regulation
identity
masking
relationships
self-esteem
perfectionism
executive functioning
work or study
people-pleasing
shame
adjusting to a diagnosis
At Unfurl, we use a neuroaffirming approach that focuses on understanding your brain rather than trying to make you behave more neurotypically. Our team is neurodivergent-led, and sessions can be adapted around communication and sensory needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is ADHD part of autism?
No. Autism and ADHD are separate neurodevelopmental conditions, although someone can have both.
Which is more common, autism or ADHD?
Autism and ADHD have different diagnostic prevalence estimates, and diagnosis rates vary across populations and over time. Prevalence data also don't necessarily reflect how many people actually have a condition, because diagnosis can be affected by access, recognition and masking.
Can you have ADHD without autism?
Yes. A person can have ADHD without being autistic.
Can you have autism without ADHD?
Yes. A person can be autistic without having ADHD.
Can ADHD cause autistic traits?
ADHD can involve experiences that overlap with autistic traits, such as executive-functioning difficulties, sensory differences or social challenges. Overlap doesn't necessarily mean the person is autistic.
How do I know whether I have autism or ADHD?
A diagnosis can't be made from one trait or online checklist. A psychologist or other appropriately qualified professional can explore your developmental history, current experiences and patterns of functioning as part of an assessment.
You don't have to pick a box just because two boxes exist
Autism and ADHD overlap.
People are complicated.
Your brain doesn't owe anyone a perfectly tidy explanation.
If you're trying to understand whether ADHD, autism or both might explain some of your experiences, you can learn more about autism and ADHD assessment at Unfurl or meet our neuroaffirming team.
