Do you sometimes feel that two different personalities are fighting over control in your head? The first one likes things to be tidy, to follow a routine, and to always do the same activities in the same silent space.
The second one gets bored after everything becomes too boring and is always seeking something new and exciting. There is nothing wrong with you, and you’re not crazy. You may suffer from AuDHD.
More and more Australians use the word to describe what specialists did not even have a name for just recently, autism and ADHD together. If you’ve ever googled “what is AuDHD” or asked yourself “am I AuDHD?”, here you will find all the information about the term, why it is often undiagnosed, and how to get help in Australia.
What Is AuDHD?
AuDHD is just an advanced term for someone who has ASD and ADHD, but it is a term that has been created by the community that identifies as autistic and having ADHD, because “I have autism and ADHD” can be quite repetitive and doesn’t quite encompass the unique experience of living with these two diagnoses.
Here comes the shocking revelation: being diagnosed with both ASD and ADHD was not possible until relatively recently. Before 2013, the manual that clinicians around the world used for diagnosing did not allow for a double diagnosis of ASD and ADHD.
Thus, if a child had characteristics of both disorders, one of the diagnoses was made, and the other was left out since the behaviors did not seem to fit it well. This resulted in an entire generation of Australians getting only half of the story.
Is AuDHD an Official Diagnosis?
No, AuDHD is not an official diagnosis. It will not be found in the DSM-5-TR (clinician’s manual) or on any Medicare item numbers. The fact is that ASD and ADHD are two distinct diagnoses.
AuDHD, in this case, is the layman’s term for individuals who have been officially diagnosed with both conditions, or who are sure that, if they were tested, they would be diagnosed with both.
This does not mean that this term is invalid. It is used because “I have autism and ADHD” does not describe how the two conditions interrelate and conflict within one individual. That is why the clinician community prefers to use the term “AuDHD” when referring to the two conditions combined.
What Causes AuDHD?
Similar to both autism and ADHD separately, AuDHD is not caused by upbringing, nutritional deficiencies, excessive screen time, or vaccinations. In both cases, an individual deals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as brain developmental conditions that mostly happen before a baby’s birth.
Genetics plays a critical role in the development of any disorder. Both disorders share many genetic causes. This is the major reason for scientists to think about the high prevalence of comorbidity in such disorders.
The presence of autism or ADHD in close relatives increases the chances of the children having these disorders. There is no specific “AuDHD gene,” nor is there a blood test or brain scan diagnosing the disorder. All diagnoses are based on a detailed evaluation of an individual’s behaviour, development, and functioning.
AuDHD in Children vs Adults
AuDHD doesn’t always show up the same way at every age, which is one reason it goes undetected.
When the disorder appears in children, it manifests as an exacerbated form of both conditions. Children may experience more meltdowns, since impulsiveness (which is caused by ADHD) combines with problems controlling their emotions.
In the sphere of social interaction, a child might face difficulties reading a situation just like an autistic child, and speaking out of turn, as an ADHD patient does. Attentive processes become complicated as well; a child can’t be distracted from what he likes to do and doesn’t concentrate on anything else. As for adults, AuDHD becomes quite subtle in their cases.
The years of masking behavioural characteristics make people exhausted and anxious, and some may feel they are doing too much and struggling with everything in life.
The reasons for adults to discover AuDHD are often connected with changes in their lives, such as starting work in a different sphere, entering a new relationship, or even becoming parents or undergoing menopause.
How Common Is AuDHD, Really?
Because AuDHD isn’t a formal diagnosis, Australia doesn’t keep an official count of how many people have both conditions. But the research on overlap is striking.
Large studies suggest autism affects roughly 1% to 4% of people, while ADHD affects around 5-8% of children and 2-6% of adults. When researchers look specifically at overlap, the numbers climb fast.
One major study found autistic adults without an intellectual disability were nearly ten times more likely to also meet the criteria for ADHD than the general population. Other Australian sources put the figure even higher, with at least one in three autistic people also meeting the criteria for ADHD, and some estimates reaching well beyond that.
The honest answer is that the range is wide, somewhere between one in five and four in five autistic people, depending on the study. What every piece of research agrees on is this: AuDHD is far more common than the old, separate-boxes model of diagnosis ever allowed us to see.
AuDHD vs ADHD: What's the Difference?
Both autism spectrum disorder and ADHD are neurodevelopmental disorders, meaning that they influence the development of the brain and the processing of information, rather than something that could be caught or outgrown by someone. There are many shared elements between autism and ADHD that people would find surprising.
Both of these disorders may include:
- Attention, focus, and impulsiveness problems
- Trouble with social communication
- Problems with executive function
- Stronger sensory experiences than those of neurotypical people
However, just as important as the common features are the differences between these conditions, and it’s in these differences that AuDHD becomes complex. Autism features include a preference for routine and predictability, as well as a deep interest in certain topics.
ADHD features include change, spontaneity, and a rapidly boring brain. When both sets of features are combined in one person, the result is someone who needs structure yet is unable to maintain it or who wants to be socially connected yet finds socialising too tiring.
When Autism and ADHD Pull in Opposite Directions
This is the piece that makes AuDHD so hard to live with, and so hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced it. The two conditions don’t just sit side by side quietly. They actively pull against each other.
Picture someone who needs their kitchen organised in a very particular way. That’s the autistic side. But their ADHD side means they lose track of where things go within a week, and the mess creeps back in.
Instead of feeling like “that’s just life”, it feels like constant, low-grade failure, because part of their brain is watching the disorder happen and finding it genuinely distressing. Sensory needs conflict in a similar way.
Autism often means the brain gets overwhelmed quickly by noise, light, or texture. ADHD often means the brain is understimulated and actually needs more input to feel switched on. Living with both can mean feeling touched out and bored in the very same moment, which is exhausting to explain and even harder to manage day-to-day.
Why the Combination Hits Mental Health Harder
Research consistently shows that people with AuDHD experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and day-to-day functional difficulty than people with autism or ADHD alone. This isn’t a coincidence.
Executive function difficulties, the trouble with planning, organising, starting tasks, and regulating emotions, show up in both conditions. When you have both, those difficulties stack rather than cancel each other out.
There’s also the exhaustion of constant self-monitoring, working out which “version” of yourself is driving on any given day and adjusting behaviour to match.
AuDHD in Women
If you are a woman who has been struggling with feelings of not quite fitting the bill of “classic” autism or “classic” ADHD, that is because the diagnostic criteria for both have largely been developed based on studies done on boys and men, and there are some marked differences between the two.
Girls and women have had their autistic traits trained out of them since they were young, which could mean things like forced eye contact, planning out conversations beforehand, or using hyperactivity to appear perfect.
On the surface, it just seems like she is “sensitive,” “disorganised,” or “anxious,” while on an internal level, it feels like constantly having to perform, draining her of any reserves she has by the end of the day.
That is the main reason why AuDHD in women often goes unnoticed until adulthood, even going unnoticed until she faces a drastic change in her lifestyle, such as going to university, becoming a parent, or entering the peri-menopausal period in her life.
Do I Have AuDHD? Signs to Know
If you’re asking, “How do I know if I have AuDHD?”, these overlapping patterns are worth paying attention to if you:
- Crave routine but consistently struggle to maintain it
- Get intensely absorbed in interests that burn out faster than you’d expect
- Anxiety or depression treatment hasn’t fully explained what you’re experiencing
- Feel tired out, overstimulated, and bored all in the same afternoon
- Mask heavily in social situations and feel drained afterwards
- Relate strongly to either autism or ADHD content online, but something still feels unaccounted for
None of this replaces a proper clinical assessment. But if several of these ring true, it’s a reasonable reason to bring it up with a health professional rather than dismiss it.
How AuDHD Is Diagnosed and Treated in Australia
Since AuDHD is not a separate diagnostic classification, when it comes to being assessed, it will generally mean visiting several health practitioners who can conduct a diagnosis of autism and ADHD at the same time, without masking any of these.
Visiting A GP: An Initial Step
There is no need for you to prepare specific phrases or even a list of symptoms; it is sufficient to simply honestly describe the things that complicate your life. The GP will refer you to a psychiatrist, paediatrician, or clinical psychologist, depending on your age and the type of assessment you need.
A GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician usually diagnoses AuDHD. A clinical psychologist or psychiatrist makes an adult’s autism diagnosis, specialised in assessing autism in adults because autism falls outside the routine GP assessment for ADHD in Australia.
If you need both diagnoses, it would be more appropriate to visit a professional or clinic that can diagnose both.
AuDHD Assessment Cost
In Australia, private ADHD evaluations cost anywhere from $100 to $1,500-$2,000+, depending on the provider and whether a full written report is included, whereas Medicare only covers some of those costs through GP or psychiatrist consultations.
An autism and ADHD combined assessment falls in the higher end of this price bracket because of the amount of time required for the evaluation. Medicare will not cover an entire assessment, but there are certain parts of the process that are subsidised under Medicare. Waitlists and pricing also vary by state, so it pays to ask.
AuDHD Treatment
ADHD medication has been widely researched and is still effective for autistics. This will improve focus, impulsiveness, and attention, but it won’t diminish any of the autistic traits, which is why medication cannot be the full story.
There is also psychological assistance, such as psychoeducation and occupational therapy, that would help one understand one’s pattern of behaviour, develop coping strategies, and obtain the necessary accommodations at school, at home, or at work.
Family and carer involvement is important as well because AuDHD affects not only a person but also those surrounding them. The right combination of medical and psychological care depends entirely on the individual, which is exactly why a joined-up, whole-person approach to assessment makes such a difference.
How Elyséa HEALTH Can Help
Elyséa HEALTH evaluates both ASD and ADHD simultaneously, rather than diagnosing one and forgetting about the other. This becomes particularly crucial for those who have hidden their condition well over many years, since the quick diagnosis of just one of the conditions would make them go undiagnosed with AuDHD.
AuDHD Assessment:
- Structured assessments of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions in children and adults, conducted by our psychologists
- A developmental history and standardised methods, along with clinical interviews, but no tick-boxes and no one-off conversations
- Assessment of overlapping ADHD features in the course of ASD diagnostics, and vice versa
AuDHD Treatment:
- ADHD medications are overseen by the psychiatrist, dosed and reviewed, keeping in view your sensory issues and daily requirements, not the usual ADHD treatment protocol.
- Help with executive functioning, sensory regulation, and masking-related exhaustion through psychological therapy that goes hand-in-hand with whatever medication you may be on.
- Coordination of information from the GP, psychiatrist, and psychologist to ensure your treatment is based on your autism and ADHD comorbidities.
If you’re an adult wondering whether ADHD alone explains your experience, Elyséa HEALTH’s guide to ADHD assessment in Adelaide is a productive starting point, as is their overview of signs of autism in adults. From there, a consultation can help determine the right assessment pathway for your specific situation.
FAQ’s
What does AuDHD stand for?
AuDHD combines “autism” and “ADHD” into one word, describing someone who has both autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder rather than just one.
How do you pronounce AuDHD?
There’s no single official pronunciation, but most people say “ay-you-D-H-D” or “audh-D”, reading the letters much the same way you’d say ADHD, with “Au” added at the front.
Is AuDHD a real, official diagnosis?
No, as covered above, it’s a widely used community and clinical shorthand for having both conditions, not a standalone item on a diagnostic report.
Is there an official AuDHD test?
No. Autism and ADHD each have their own validated assessment tools, used together by a clinician. Online quizzes can help you notice patterns, but they’re screening aids, not diagnoses.
Can you have autistic or ADHD traits without meeting the full diagnostic criteria for either?
Yes, and it’s more common than a full dual diagnosis. Plenty of people have noticeable traits of one condition without meeting the complete criteria, especially if they already have the other. This is part of why AuDHD can be hard to pin down, and why a proper assessment looks at the whole pattern rather than ticking boxes in isolation.
Can adults be diagnosed with AuDHD, or is it only picked up in childhood?
Adults can absolutely be assessed and diagnosed with both conditions. Adult diagnosis is becoming more common, particularly for people who masked well enough as children to fly under the radar, especially women.
Is AuDHD more common in women, or just more often missed?
It’s not necessarily more common in women, but it is more often missed, largely because diagnostic tools were built around how autism and ADHD present in boys.
What’s the difference between AuDHD and just having ADHD?
ADHD alone centres on attention regulation, impulsivity, and restlessness. AuDHD adds autism’s social communication differences, sensory sensitivities, and preference for routine, which is why traits can pull against each other rather than simply add up.
Can ADHD medication help someone with AuDHD?
Yes, it can manage attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity the same way it does for ADHD alone, though it won’t reduce autistic traits, which is why medication is usually paired with psychological support.
Does Medicare cover an AuDHD assessment in Australia?
Only in part. Medicare rebates apply to GP and psychiatrist consultations and, after diagnosis, to psychology sessions under a Mental Health Treatment Plan, but not to a full assessment package outright. See the cost section above for specifics.
Can you self-diagnose AuDHD?
Self-recognition is a valid starting point, and many people in the AuDHD community identify with the term before any formal diagnosis. But a formal assessment still matters for workplace accommodations, NDIS consideration, and ruling out conditions like anxiety or depression that can look similar on the surface.
The Bottom Line
Absolutely, you can have autism and ADHD, both at once, and after years of struggling against yourself, maybe AuDHD will finally make sense to you. This is not about labelling; this is about getting help that addresses all the issues, not just part of them.
And if any of this rings a bell for you, you don’t have to struggle on your own. A proper assessment done by professionals who know the specifics of autism and ADHD interactions is the best way to go from confusion to a solution.
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