New here, have a question about autism & possibly ADHD.

[Thorski]

So I had an official diagnosis of Asperger's back in 2015, and getting that was like a really HUGE thing for me. It put in to perspective all the many many things I was questioning about myself since I was a child. I was often labelled the naughty child or nuts or weird or the big one, as an adult 'attitude problem', depending on who you asked.

Anyway, my question isn't really about this or maybe it partly is..
So, i'm pretty sure I have ADHD as well as ASD, and it's really made(and is still making) my life very difficult. I have a hard time concentrating on anything that isn't a subject I love. I have started, and mostly failed, many many things over the years. The only thing I managed to finish (and that was with a lot of help from my wife) was my IT degree. I am moderately intelligent and am able to work out many complex things, but I cannot finish things I started, and this is the problem I so desperately need to figure out.

Living in the UK we are having probably the biggest financial squeeze we have ever seen and for the most part we have managed financially pretty well, but the last couple of years we have been hit rather hard financially and it if it hadn't been for the fact I had invested in cryptocurrency, there is no doubt in my mind we would be in big trouble now.

So the latest thing I really want to do is to learn how to trade, I still have some money invested that I can play with and I feel I could make it much more if I was able to day trade.
I'm quite sure I am able to figure it out, but I really really lack is motivation, and I have NO idea where to get that from.
And this is the same exact problem i've had for years, i've started many things, but have been unable to finish them, very likely due to ADHD and problem some ASD too.

So, any advice for me? I'm really open to any suggestion at this stage.

PS. If I am not supposed to ask this in my introduction thread then please let me know and i'll paste it to the general instead.

 

[Raggamuffin]

You might find this of use with regards to ADHD.

I'm from UK too. I paid for a private ADHD diagnosis, I'm on the NHS waiting list for an autism one, but in recent weeks they told me they lost my original referral (made over a year ago), so I think I have a few years left to wait.

Anyway, that video above is amazing. He's calming to listen to, and knows his stuff. Also, wonderful facial hair.

There's overlap with neurodiverse conditions, and ASD and ADHD are quite common co-morbidities. Same as how we often encounter chronic worry, anxiety, GAD, or depression. Perhaps OCD or tourettes, or aches and pains born of stress and depression. It's a right mixed bag.

Ed

 

[Thorski]

The system here is messed for getting diagnosis/help. We've been going through my eldest son's diagnosis and trying to get help as he's autistic too. We started this process when he was 2 and a half years old and he's just turned 7 and we've now finally started to get things put into place for him, but I still don't think its enough. He is very much like me in the sense that he's very clever and able to figure things out far quicker than his peers, but he needs that 1 to 1 support to extract the maximum from him.
I'm hoping my journey of discovery is going to help him in some ways to be able to achieve more, but right now I feel so lost.

Anyway, that video was really good - learned a few more things about myself that are true. And you're right about his facial hair, its immaculate lol
Is there anything else that can help me focus more? I don't really want to go down the drug route unless absolutely necessary as i'm already on so many drugs for other things. There is one drug i'm on though to help with my headaches, amitriptyline. And i've been reading that it can help with norepinephrine levels which is one of the chemicals our brains can lack. Would this be a substantial help or not at all? I wouldn't say it's helped me much with focusing by my wife has commented I seem a lot happy and more calm since taking it.

I hope you have a swift diagnosis and that it helps you out.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

So the latest thing I really want to do is to learn how to trade, I still have some money invested that I can play with and I feel I could make it much more if I was able to day trade.
I'm quite sure I am able to figure it out, but I really really lack is motivation, and I have NO idea where to get that from.

I got into the market with my Robinhood account,...just "play money",...at least in my mind. I have other investments like a 403B and a pension. Someone tipped me off to Dogecoin back in the day,...well, I flipped a few hundred into several thousand,...then quickly flipped that into growth stocks. Long-term investments,...I am a "HODLer",...(hold on for dear life).

Now, IF you are going to make money whilst day trading,...(1)...you need a few dedicated computers with all the proper trading software to automatically buy and sell based upon the stock's performance throughout the day. (2) Because you may be buying and selling based upon peaks and troughs in the price of 2-3%,...you need ALOT of money, because you may be purchasing stocks in lots of hundreds, thousands or 10's of thousands. (3) Many day traders also borrow money to invest,...which, if you're good at it,...great. If you're not good at it,...it will destroy you. You have to ask yourself,...realistically,...am I going to be making,...on average, a livable wage on a consistent basis? Do you have a convenient way to flip those profits into cash? Are you setting aside 25% of that income for taxes at the end of the year? For most people,...that's going to be a NO. Most have to have some other source of steady income,...and then use their stock trading as a bit of a "side gig".

This idea that you're going to make a ton of money in the short-term by buying the dip and selling high, day in-day out,...that doesn't happen unless you are literally glued to your computer and doing your in depth research on companies. Otherwise,...I would not recommend it. Those once-in-a-while flips that set you way ahead, are just that,...once-in-a-while, and you can't depend upon that for any sort of income, either. Then there is the issue of "capital gains",...if you sell and make money,...the tax man is waiting at the end of the year for you. A few years ago, I thought we had our taxable income set up so that we would break even at the end of the year with our taxes,...but then the capital gains statement came through and we ended up owing an additional $3000 that I wasn't prepared for.

 

[Magna]

Welcome.

I have both ASD and ADHD. Both were professionally diagnosed. I got the ASD diagnosis before the ADHD diagnosis. Between the two I say that I consider the ADHD to be a disability to me far more than the ASD.

Someone once said, I forget who, something to the effect that "They're not autistic when they're alone." The idea being that when they're by themselves in their own chosen environment as they want it, doing what they want to do and with no one else around...they feel normal. < I feel this way as well.

However...when I'm by myself my ADHD does not abate and I have the exact same issues as you with finding it very difficult to focus and accomplish things that I'm not interested in and the force of distraction in those instances is overwhelming.

I don't have any advice for you, unfortunately.

Incidentally, I belong to a moderated autism group. Our moderator is a PhD level student specializing in autism. Our moderator mentioned in one of our groups that there is a current theory in the autism field put forth by a researcher that ASD Level 1 and ADHD are the same thing.

 

[Storm Hess]

Here in the UK as well...NHS told me 2 year wait for ASD diagnosis and 1 year for ADHD. Had to resort to private diagnosis for ASD and most likely for ADHD as well.

Oh, yes, forgot...hello.

 

[Storm Hess]

@Raggamuffin - thank you for posting that. I believe very highly that I have ADHD as well. My son was diagnosed with both ASD and ADHD...the nut doesn't fall far the tree.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Here in the UK as well...NHS told me 2 year wait for ASD diagnosis and 1 year for ADHD. Had to resort to private diagnosis for ASD and most likely for ADHD as well.

Oh, yes, forgot...hello.

How much was your ASD private assessment?

I went with Harley Psychiatrists for ADHD and that didn't see much change from 700 I think. The same person also did ASD one's but at over 1k. I looked them up as they've changed places they work, and now I think the ASD one they offer is around 700 too. It was all done online via Zoom or Skype though.

Ed

 

[Nitro]

 

[Bill J]

You might find this of use with regards to ADHD.

I'm from UK too. I paid for a private ADHD diagnosis, I'm on the NHS waiting list for an autism one, but in recent weeks they told me they lost my original referral (made over a year ago), so I think I have a few years left to wait.

Anyway, that video above is amazing. He's calming to listen to, and knows his stuff. Also, wonderful facial hair.

There's overlap with neurodiverse conditions, and ASD and ADHD are quite common co-morbidities. Same as how we often encounter chronic worry, anxiety, GAD, or depression. Perhaps OCD or tourettes, or aches and pains born of stress and depression. It's a right mixed bag.

Ed

I think procrastination is common with ASD, it certainly is an issue for me. It helps if I set a deadline to complete (whatever), earlier that when it absolutely has to be done, then break (whatever) into smaller segments and create a timeline with a target completion for each of those segments. Oftentimes the hardest part is just getting started. My recurring depression also makes getting started difficult.

 

[Shamar]

The way I see it, there are two ways to make a small fortune -- go into a casino with a large fortune. Day trading works the same way.

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

Given you're in a bit of a rut, it might not be a good idea to jump into day trading, especially if you can't afford to lose, since one needs to be able, when trading, to remove emotions from their decisions and avoid potential traps like chasing losses and worrying about sunk costs.

Perhaps you could start with one of many sites that allows you to use "play money" in a simulated account to get a feel for things for a couple months to see if you think you're comfortable with it?

And in the meantime, perhaps try your best to focus on getting an additional job to help with the expenses?

Best wishes.

 

[Storm Hess]

How much was your ASD private assessment?

I went with Harley Psychiatrists for ADHD and that didn't see much change from 700 I think. The same person also did ASD one's but at over 1k. I looked them up as they've changed places they work, and now I think the ASD one they offer is around 700 too. It was all done online via Zoom or Skype though.

Ed

Private adult ASD assessment was £2250 at Clinical Partners...I looked at the web site and they increased their fees. The adult ADHD assessment was £795, now it's £895. I do recommend them as they were thorough, kind and understanding...also, they are tied to the NHS. That helps for record keeping. It is expensive, but I'm glad I did it. Now I have to save for the ADHD test.

My ASD assessment was done online...that was a big help for me since I don't travel well.