[Garfie]

Originally Posted by Zizu

I concur with your statement

I read somewhere that ADHD now comes under the autism spectrum nowadays — which surprised me somewhat


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There is definitely some merging of terminology - from my understanding, people who have characteristics of both conditions are now referred to as AuDHD, whereas they were previously recorded as ASD/ADHD or ADHD with Autistic tendencies or vice versa. It just means the terminology is more succinct.

However, the students I work with, in a mainstream setting, vary greatly. Many are purely Autistic and have no characteristics of ADHD, and in fact are hyper-focused and self-contained, rather than attention deficit of hyperactive.

Others are purely ADHD with no Autistic traits, and some are just ADD, so ADHD without the hyperactivity. ItÂ’s all very individual, and no two people with either or both of the conditions will present exactly the same, as there are so many different traits that form each condition, and individuals can have all or just some, and to varying degrees. People can have a diagnosis, but only by knowing and monitoring them very closely is it possible to identify the traits that are most prominent in them, and which pose the most difficulties.

If I was to make a guess at this stage, I would say Ali has these conditions to mild degree, with fewer tendencies than many. For me, she has shown the attention-deficit aspect of ADD, rather than the hyperactivity of ADHD. This might mean she needs longer to absorb or process information, especially in a social setting, whereas her Autistic tendencies would make it harder for her to read people and situations, due to a very literal understanding of language. This would explain why she took MarcelloÂ’s joke so seriously and why her response was slightly delayed.