Understanding Your Own Autism or ADHD: The Path to Personal Mastery

Executive functions are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. For individuals with ADHD, and often for those who are autistic, challenges in executive functioning can profoundly affect their daily life. 

 

Weak Skills: Often, people with ADHD might struggle with inhibitory control, which can manifest as impulsivity, or difficulty with working memory, which affects their ability to hold information in mind for short periods. Autistic individuals might find cognitive flexibility challenging, struggling to switch between tasks or adapt to new situations. 

 

Strong Skills: On the flip side, many autistic individuals may excel in consistent attention to detail in areas of personal interest, and those with ADHD might display remarkable creativity and problem-solving abilities when they are deeply engaged in a task that is personally stimulating. 

 

Understanding these skills can lead to better self-management strategies and accommodations. For example, someone who knows they have trouble with task-switching might use tools like timers or alarms to remind them to switch tasks, or they might schedule their day to have large blocks of time for single tasks to minimise transitions. 

 

Both autistic and ADHD individuals often experience the world more intensely due to differences in sensory processing. Understanding sensory sensitivities and preferences is key to creating a comfortable environment. 

 

Hypersensitivity: An autistic person might find certain textures or sounds unbearable, such as the buzzing of fluorescent lights or the feel of certain fabrics against their skin, leading to sensory overload and distress. 

 

Hyposensitivity: Conversely, someone might be under-sensitive and seek out intense sensory experiences. An ADHD individual might need to tap their foot, touch everything, or have background music to concentrate. 

 

Understanding these sensory interactions helps in tailoring one's surroundings to enhance comfort and performance. For example, using noise-cancelling headphones in loud environments or having access to fidget toys can make a significant difference in daily comfort and focus. 

 

Many individuals who are autistic or ADHD also experience co-morbid conditions, which can complicate their experiences and the strategies they might need to employ. 

 

Anxiety and Depression: Common among both autistic and ADHD individuals, these conditions can exacerbate feelings of isolation or overwhelm due to difficulties in social interaction and executive dysfunction. 

 

Learning Difficulities: Dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning difficulties often co-occur, requiring specific interventions tailored to the learning style and challenges of the individual. 

 

For instance, a person with ADHD and anxiety might need a combination of medication, therapy, and personal strategies to manage both attention issues and anxiety triggers effectively. 

 

Consider Emily, an autistic adult who learned through self-assessment that her sensory sensitivity to sound made traditional office environments overwhelming. By understanding this, she was able to advocate for a remote work arrangement long before they became common, significantly improving her work performance and satisfaction. 

 

John, diagnosed with ADHD, realised that his impulsivity was affecting his relationships. By recognising this as a part of his executive functioning challenges, he worked on strategies like pausing to think before responding in conversations, which greatly improved his social interactions. 

 

Understanding one's own autism or ADHD is not just about embracing an identity; it's about comprehensively understanding how various elements of these conditions interact with one’s personal life. This knowledge empowers individuals to make informed decisions about everything from career choices to daily routines, enhancing their quality of life. The journey of understanding is continuous, involving ongoing adjustment and learning, but it is perhaps the most critical step after diagnosis.