What Is AuDHD? ADHD and Autism Evaluations in Middlesex, NJ
If you have ever felt like ADHD describes part of your experience but not all of it, or like an Autism diagnosis explains some things but leaves other questions unanswered, you are not alone. More and more people are discovering a term that finally captures what they have been living with: AuDHD.
AuDHD is not an official diagnosis you will find in a clinical manual, but it has become widely used because it describes something real. It refers to having both Autism and ADHD at the same time, two neurodevelopmental profiles that can overlap, interact, and sometimes hide behind each other in ways that make either one harder to identify on its own.
If you have wondered whether your ADHD diagnosis ever told the whole story, or whether your Autism diagnosis left some pieces of the puzzle missing, this post is for you.
Why I Wanted to Write About This
I am a neurodivergent clinician, and I am also someone who lives with both ADHD and Autism. For most of my life, I did not have a name for part of what I was experiencing. I knew I was easily overwhelmed and exhausted by things that seemed to come so easily to everyone else. What I did not understand for a long time was how much of that exhaustion came from masking, from sensory overload, from a brain that was working overtime in two different directions at once.
When I finally understood that I was navigating both ADHD and Autism, not one or the other, so much of my life made sense in a way it never had before. That is why I wanted to write this post. If any part of this resonates with you, I want you to know that there is a name for what you are experiencing, and there is a path toward finally understanding it.
What Is AuDHD?
AuDHD is the term many neurodivergent people and clinicians use to describe the co-occurrence of Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the same person. While the formal diagnostic manuals list these as separate conditions, research and clinical experience increasingly show that they overlap far more often than was once believed.
For decades, the two were sometimes treated as mutually exclusive. A person could be diagnosed with Autism or ADHD, but rarely both. That has changed. Studies have found that a substantial portion of autistic individuals, often estimated at around half, also meet criteria for ADHD, and many people diagnosed with ADHD show significant autistic traits that were never formally assessed. Many clinicians now recognize that having both is common, and that missing one because of the presence of the other is one of the most frequent reasons people go without a complete picture of their own neurodevelopmental profile for years, sometimes for their entire childhood and well into adulthood.
Why AuDHD Is So Often Missed
One of the most important things to understand about AuDHD is that the two conditions do not simply add together. They interact, and that interaction can hide each condition from view.
ADHD Can Mask Autism
A child or adult with significant ADHD traits, like impulsivity, restlessness, or difficulty with attention, may be evaluated, diagnosed with ADHD, and never assessed for Autism at all. Autistic traits like sensory sensitivities, a strong need for routine, or social communication differences may be attributed entirely to the ADHD, or may be present but simply never explored.
Autism Can Mask ADHD
The reverse happens just as often. A person diagnosed with Autism may also have significant attention and executive function challenges, but those struggles get attributed to anxiety, sensory overwhelm, or the Autism itself, rather than recognized as a separate, treatable condition that responds to different kinds of support.
The Combination Creates Its Own Presentation
Perhaps most importantly, having both ADHD and Autism does not always look like a simple combination of the two. The traits can interact in ways that create a presentation that does not match the textbook description of either condition individually. This is one of the biggest reasons AuDHD goes unrecognized. The person does not look like a typical case of ADHD, and they do not look like a typical case of Autism either, so they may not get evaluated for either, or they get a diagnosis for one and the picture stops there.
This is especially true for women and girls, who are often diagnosed with anxiety or depression long before anyone considers ADHD or Autism, let alone both together. Years of masking can make AuDHD nearly invisible to evaluators without specialized training in how it presents in women. If this sounds familiar, our adult evaluation page has more on AuDHD and the female presentation of ADHD and Autism.
Signs You Might Have AuDHD
AuDHD can look different in every person, but if you recognize yourself or your child in some of what follows, it may be worth exploring further.
You Have an ADHD Diagnosis, But Something Still Feels Unexplained
Maybe you were diagnosed with ADHD years ago, and medication or strategies helped with some things, but other parts of your experience never quite fit. Sensory sensitivities, a strong preference for routine and predictability, social exhaustion, or a sense of not quite connecting with others the way you are supposed to may have been there all along, just never named.
You Have an Autism Diagnosis, But Attention and Executive Function Struggles Persist
Maybe you were diagnosed as autistic, and that explained a great deal, but you still struggle significantly with time management, organization, follow-through, or restlessness in ways that go beyond what is typically described for Autism alone.
You Have Never Been Evaluated for Either, But Neither Description Quite Fits
Some people read about ADHD and feel like it describes them, but only partly. They read about Autism and feel the same way. If you have spent time researching both and felt like you saw yourself in pieces of each, but never the whole picture in just one, that combination itself can be a meaningful clue.
In Children: A Diagnosis That Does Not Fully Explain What You See
Parents often describe a child who was diagnosed with ADHD, but who also has significant sensory sensitivities, rigid routines, or social differences that do not seem fully explained by ADHD alone. Or a child diagnosed as autistic who also struggles enormously with attention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in ways that go beyond what is typically expected.
Why Getting a Comprehensive Evaluation Matters
If any of this feels familiar, the most important next step is a comprehensive evaluation that looks at both ADHD and Autism together, rather than one in isolation. In Middlesex, NJ and the surrounding areas, families and adults often face long waits for this kind of evaluation, but at True Reflections Mental Health Services, appointments are typically available within one to two weeks. This matters for a few key reasons.
Treatment and Support Need to Match the Full Picture
Therapy, accommodations, and strategies that work well for ADHD alone may not address the sensory or social aspects of Autism. Support designed for Autism alone may not address executive function or attention challenges. When both are identified, the recommendations can be tailored to how your brain actually works, not just part of it.
Self-Understanding Changes Everything
Many people who discover they have both conditions describe a profound sense of relief. Pieces of their life that never quite made sense, the exhaustion, the sense of working harder than everyone else, the feeling of not fitting neatly into any one description, suddenly come together into a coherent picture. That clarity alone can be transformative, separate from any formal diagnosis or accommodations that follow.
A Re-Evaluation Is Always an Option
If you already have one diagnosis and suspect the other condition may also be present, you do not need to start from scratch or feel like you are questioning a diagnosis that was correct. A comprehensive ADHD and Autism evaluation can look at the full picture, confirm what is already known, and explore what may have been missed.
AuDHD Evaluations at True Reflections Mental Health Services
At True Reflections Mental Health Services in Middlesex, NJ, every comprehensive ADHD and Autism evaluation looks at the full neurodevelopmental picture. Whether you already have one diagnosis and suspect the other may also be present, or you have never been evaluated for either and feel like neither description quite fits on its own, the evaluation process is designed to explore both.
Evaluations are available for children as young as 2.5, teens, and adults of all ages, in person in Middlesex, NJ and virtually throughout New Jersey and Florida. There is no waitlist, and no referral is needed to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About AuDHD
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A: AuDHD is a term used to describe having both Autism and ADHD at the same time. It is not an official diagnostic term, but it has become widely used because the two conditions co-occur far more often than most people realize and can interact in ways that make each one harder to recognize on its own.
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A: AuDHD itself is not a formal diagnosis listed in clinical manuals. The formal diagnoses are Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and a person can be formally diagnosed with both. AuDHD is a widely used term that describes this combination and the unique way the two conditions can interact, even though it is not the clinical term that would appear on a diagnostic report.
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A: Research increasingly shows that ADHD and Autism co-occur frequently. Many people are diagnosed with one condition while the other goes unrecognized for years, often because the traits of one can mask or be mistaken for the traits of the other.
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A: Yes. ADHD and Autism are separate neurodevelopmental profiles, but they can and often do occur together. A person with both may experience traits of each condition, as well as ways the two interact and present differently than either would on its own.
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A: Possible signs include having an ADHD diagnosis that never fully explained your experience, having an Autism diagnosis alongside significant struggles with attention or executive function, or feeling like you do not fully fit the typical description of either condition on its own. A comprehensive evaluation that looks at both can help clarify what is really going on.
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A: Yes. Children can be diagnosed with both ADHD and Autism. Many children receive a diagnosis of one condition first, with the other identified later, sometimes years later, once a more comprehensive evaluation is completed.
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A: Every comprehensive evaluation at True Reflections Mental Health services is designed to look at both ADHD and Autism together, not just one in isolation. If you already have one diagnosis and suspect the other may also be present, or you have never been evaluated for either, the evaluation process explores the full picture, including how the two may be interacting in ways that are unique to AuDHD.
Ready to Get Started?
If you have spent years feeling like one diagnosis never told the whole story, or like neither ADHD nor Autism on their own quite describes your experience, you are not imagining it, and you are not alone. That feeling of something still being unexplained is often a sign worth listening to.
A comprehensive evaluation can help you finally see the full picture. Appointments are typically available within one to two weeks, and no referral is needed.
Other Services at True Reflections MHS
In addition to evaluations for children and teens, I also offer:
• ADHD and Autism Evaluations for Adults
• Trauma Therapy for ADHD and Autism
• Affirming Therapy for ADHDers
• Affirming Therapy for Autistics
• Later in Life ADHD and Autism Diagnosis Support
• Prenatal and Postpartum Therapy
• Play Therapy, AutPlay Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, EMDR Therapy, DBT, and more
All services are available in person in Middlesex, NJ and virtually throughout New Jersey and Florida.
Janine Kelly, MSW, LCSW, C-NDAAP, ADHD-CCSP, ASDCS, PMH-C, RPT-S™, C-DBT, CBT-C, CCATP-CA, CATP is a neurodivergent psychotherapist and the Founder of True Reflections Mental Health Services in Middlesex, NJ. She provides comprehensive, neurodiversity affirming ADHD and Autism evaluations for children, teens, and adults in person and virtually throughout New Jersey and Florida. Janine specializes in the diagnosis of ADHD and Autism in girls and women.
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