Being neurodivergent is sometimes like being a data point on a normal area under the curve. That especially becomes apparent when navigating society, including health care, insurance, and public policy. Our current state of the US is a perfect example where an outlier on that curve is a target for ridicule, harassment, or a political object. It all complicates understanding and interacting with each other.
To aid navigation through life and society we want to understand ourselves, be understood by others, and accepted for who we are. We usually seek guidance in the first step, which is often thorny:
"Occasionally I wonder what my life would be like if a doctor had ever actually settled on "You are THIS type of neurospicy". I've had, in my life, three attempts at diagnosis, and it's always "You're not quite [thing], but have aspects of it."
My take on this (with help from a neurodivergent neuroscientist/psychologist colleague) follows: the brain is 'plastic', which means it functions in a myriad of ways to enact with & survive in its environment. And no two minds are alike.
Humans like 'boxes' into which they place and label animate and inanimate things. It helps us understand and communicate with others. Medical and insurance communities require and assign labels as guides to categorize physical/mental states and to navigate social systems: care, policy, education, etc. But they do not fully represent the reality.
Thus 'diagnoses' (which I don't like because it implies pathology) are attempts to categorize and put labels on the way your brain functions. But they don't fully capture the reality. Boundaries of those categories are fluid, often unspecific and flow into another. A good discussion and graphic for autism is addressed in this recent article.
Increasing opinion by practitioners & researchers is that other neurodiverse traits currently excluded be added to the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) category: ADHD, bi-polar, anxiety disorder, etc. All these can co-exist, should be recognized & included in a diagnosis. Or minimally be included in ongoing discussion with each practitioner and client.
I was told when learning my 'label' and category (2007) that my primary traits aligned with autism, specifically 'Asperger's syndrome'. I also fit the criteria of "mild" ADHD. However, medically and legally, I could not be both. According to the DSM-4, my category had to be one or the other. (see footnote below)
As my colleague explained both autism and ADHD can co-occur regardless of the strict criteria and categorization in the DMS-4. If I wanted his analysis added to my medical records, it would be 'Asperger's Syndrome'. (I chose not to have it documented for reasons explained in an earlier post.)
Research in the last two years indicate that a significant percentage of people with ASD also exhibit symptoms of ADHD, and vice versa. The overlap is more inclusive of the reality of traits and function. Yet it can complicate diagnosis and therapy. Both conditions share some behavioral or cognitive characteristics but can also have distinct features.
Regardless of a diagnosis label, individuals can discover more about themselves and other neurodivergents through conversations sharing experiences and testimony. It's less about what label you are than more about who you are as a person. The best way is to meet other ND people and learn from each other.
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Note: A newer addition, DSM-5, eliminated the Asperger's label and incorporated those criteria into the Autism Spectrum Disorder category. Also, DSM-5 allows for the co-diagnosis of ASD and ADHD conditions, but the current colloquial term AuDHD is not included.
