Attention deficit

[Jacob Morrison]

Hello, folks. Quick question. Is attention deficit a part of Aspergers or do I have AD(H)D? I have severe attention deficit yet I haven't been diagnosed with anything outside of Aspergers. (I'm a type one diabetic but I'm sure that has nothing to do with it.) My doctor prescribed me Adderall for it but I never found out whether it's part of Aspergers or if I might have ADD/ADHD.. Anyone?

 

[Kari Suttle]

I don't know. I think at least for me, attention issues is apart of my probably having AS. I'm hypersensitive to noise so i can't block out random noises and constant noises that other people can, and things sound louder to me than to others, and that hypersensitivity to sound is what distracts me. There's no filter up there so i hear everything and unless i'm hyperfocusing on someone or something, i can't help but notice it and react to it. Cause for some reason the part of my head that's supposed to go 'oh yup we heard that noise a minute ago, its no problem so hey ears ignore it its all good' doesn't work right. Unless like i said i'm already hyperfocusing on something or someone, but that took months for me to even pick up on it. I only even realized i was hypersensitive to sound after i got a job at a crazy busy grocery store, you see.

So i guess in conclusion it depends...sometimes i think attention issues can be apart of AS/HFA but if its severe enough that it negatively impacts your life i think it could be its own thing. That's how they grade mental/developmental/learning issues...if its big enough to negatively impact your daily life, your quality of life, for a long time coming, then they'll diagnose it as something.

 

[Balkan1996]

I see 'ADHD' as one of the symptoms for ASD diagnosis, but it can be independent as well.

I bet 50% of aspies have ADHD/ADD.

 

[Suzanne]

I am terrible. I do try very hard to stay focused but end up roaming in my mind and have to force myself back, but conversely, when I do concentrate, I am lost to what is going on, around me. But when boredom kicks in, with who I am trying to listen too, the least little movement attracts me and I have to force myself to not look.

My husband said to me, recently, that I bore easily and sadly, with my species, I do

 

[epath13]

Hello, folks. Quick question. Is attention deficit a part of Aspergers or do I have AD(H)D? I have severe attention deficit yet I haven't been diagnosed with anything outside of Aspergers. (I'm a type one diabetic but I'm sure that has nothing to do with it.) My doctor prescribed me Adderall for it but I never found out whether it's part of Aspergers or if I might have ADD/ADHD.. Anyone?

I've been discussing this issue with many therapists, doctors and some parens. My opinion and several other people's opinion was this: attention issues in people with ADHD and Autism have different causes. people with ADHD seem to switch attention quickly from one thing to another, people with Autism pay attention to everything at the same time. Sometimes I feel (and felt as a child) that environment just crashes on me, I am so overloaded that it becomes hard to think.
I describe it... in some way... in my tiny story about Timmy (I posted the image in the media section).

 

[Progster]

I have issues similar to those described by Kari Suttle and Suzanne. I'm hypersensitive to noise too, and find it difficult to concentrate when there is background noise. I'm very easily distracted because I notice sounds all the time, and I find noisy environments extremely tiring because all the sounds are coming in at once, and I can't make out what anybody is saying to me. My mind wanders a lot too when I'm listening to a conversation or watching something on TV, and I end up missing what was said, or I miss details in the film or TV programme and find it difficult to pick up the thread again. Conversely, If I'm interested in something, I can become very focused to the point that it's hard to catch my attention.

 

[AsheSkyler]

ADD/ADHD can be a comorbid of autism and Asperger's, but not necessarily a guaranteed thing to get when you're on the spectrum.