Autism-pedia / AuDHD / AuDHD: autism and ADHD togetherbrianspringer.com
AuDHD

AuDHD: autism and ADHD together

An overview of what research shows about autism and ADHD occurring together, about executive function and time, about interest, hyperfocus and reward, and about ADHD medication in autistic people. "AuDHD" is a community term. Each section links to a full entry.

A short tour of what scientists know about having both autism and ADHD. "AuDHD" is a word the community uses. Each part links to a longer page.

Last reviewed 4 October 2026 · one person's reading of the research · 9 sources

Autism and ADHD together Established

Meta-analyses put ADHD in about 28 to 40% of autistic people, depending on who was sampled.1,2 In twin studies, autistic and ADHD traits went together, and much of the genetic influence on one also influenced the other.3

Full entryAutism and ADHD together How often autism and ADHD occur in the same person, why the two could not be diagnosed together until 2013, what twin and gene studies show about shared roots, how one can hide the other at assessment, and what studies have found about people with both.

About 3 or 4 in every 10 autistic people also have ADHD.1,2 Twin studies show that the two often run in the same families.3

Full entryAutism and ADHD together Many people are both autistic and have ADHD. This page is about how often that happens, why doctors could not give both labels until 2013, what twin and gene studies show, and how one can hide the other.
Suggest a correction
Established

Summarizes Autism and ADHD together. Several meta-analyses agree on a large overlap, and twin studies from two countries agree on shared genetic influence.

Established

Several big reviews agree on this.

Executive function and time Emerging

On executive tasks such as attention, flexibility and working memory, autistic and ADHD children look much alike: a meta-analysis of 58 direct comparisons found no differences between the two groups.4 People with ADHD were less accurate than others at judging short durations.5

Full entryExecutive function and time What lab tasks and everyday ratings show about planning, flexibility, inhibition and working memory in autism, in ADHD and in people with both; what is known about the sense of time in each; and how little research there is on body doubling.

Executive function means skills like planning and switching between tasks. On tests of these skills, autistic kids and kids with ADHD scored much the same.4 People with ADHD were less accurate at judging short amounts of time.5

Full entryExecutive function and time How autistic people and people with ADHD plan, switch, stop themselves and keep track of time, what tests and everyday checklists show, and how little we know about working next to someone else.
Suggest a correction
Emerging

Summarizes Executive function and time. Comparisons of autism and ADHD come from two meta-analyses; findings on people with both are limited.

Emerging

Two big reviews compared the two. Few studies looked at people who have both.

Interest and hyperfocus Emerging

Hyperfocus usually means a long spell of intense attention on one activity, with less awareness of time and surroundings, but there is no agreed definition: most papers on it do not define it.6 A 2026 review described it as like flow in its intensity, but often involuntary.7

Full entryInterest, hyperfocus and motivation What hyperfocus is and how it shows up in ADHD and in autism, how rewards change attention in ADHD, what dopamine studies do and do not show, and how the brain's reward system responds to autistic interests.

Hyperfocus means getting so lost in one thing that you lose track of time. Scientists have not agreed on an exact meaning yet.6 It is a bit like being "in the zone", but it can happen without choosing to.7

Full entryInterest, hyperfocus and motivation What hyperfocus is, and how it shows up in ADHD and in autism. How rewards change attention, what scientists know about dopamine, and how the brain reacts to autistic interests.
Suggest a correction
Emerging

Summarizes Interest, hyperfocus and motivation. Hyperfocus research is mostly one-time questionnaires, and dopamine studies are small and disagree.

Emerging

Most of these studies are surveys done once.

ADHD medication Emerging

Pooled across small trials, methylphenidate reduced hyperactivity in autistic children, with the evidence rated low or very low in quality.8 For adults, one retrospective Dutch clinic study found similar results in autistic and non-autistic adults, but excluded most cases during selection.9

Full entryADHD medication in autistic people What placebo-controlled trials and reviews show about methylphenidate, atomoxetine, guanfacine and clonidine for ADHD traits in autistic children, how the results compare with ADHD alone, which side effects lead people to stop, and how little is known about adults.

In small studies, an ADHD medicine called methylphenidate helped autistic kids be less restless.8 One study of adults found it worked about as well for autistic adults as for others.9

Full entryADHD medication in autistic people Some autistic people also have ADHD. This page is about what tests of ADHD medicines have found in autistic people, which side effects come up, and what is still unknown.
Suggest a correction
Emerging

Summarizes ADHD medication in autistic people. The child trials are small and short; the adult evidence is thinner still.

Emerging

The studies are small and short. There are very few studies of adults.

Sources

  1. 1Lai MC, Kassee C, Besney R, et al. Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30289-5 ; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31447415/
  2. 2Rong Y, Yang CJ, Jin Y, et al. Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101759
  3. 3Ronald A, Simonoff E, Kuntsi J, et al. Evidence for overlapping genetic influences on autistic and ADHD behaviours in a community twin sample. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01857.x ; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18221348/
  4. 4Townes P, Liu C, Panesar P, et al. Do ASD and ADHD Have Distinct Executive Function Deficits? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Direct Comparison Studies. Journal of Attention Disorders, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231190494
  5. 5Marx I, Cortese S, Koelch MG, et al. Meta-analysis: Altered Perceptual Timing Abilities in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.12.004
  6. 6Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A. Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention. Psychological Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01245-8
  7. 7Pace-Tonna C, Murtaza M, Rodak T, et al. Flow and Similar Attentional States in Autism and ADHD: A Scoping Review of Similarities and Differences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916261470783
  8. 8Rodrigues R, Lai MC, Beswick A, et al. Practitioner Review: Pharmacological treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children and youth with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13305 ; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32845025/
  9. 9Muit JJ, Bothof N, Kan CC. Pharmacotherapy of ADHD in adults with autism spectrum disorder: effectiveness and side effects. Journal of Attention Disorders, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054719866255 ; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31625426/