Autismification of ADHD

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I wanted to hear your thoughts on it. A lot of people who are deeply involved in the online trend around autism don’t actually have autism, but rather an ADHD diagnosis. I’ve often had the feeling that people with ADHD (whether officially diagnosed or self-diagnosed) are heavily engaged in this misinformation bubble about autism, where they create and spread new symptoms or terms for autism.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many people with ADHD believe they are very similar to autistic individuals. For example, autistic people tend to have special interests that usually last for years and are driven by intrinsic motivation. These interests are often deeply detailed and sustained. On the other hand, in ADHD, the term “hyperfixation” is used, but many people with ADHD refer to it as a “special interest,” claiming it’s the same thing. Or, they explain hyperfixation as if it leads them to become experts in something, which doesn’t really make sense. Hyperfixation is typically short-term, externally triggered, and doesn’t last for years. To be honest, it often resembles the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is fine, but they claim to reach the same level of expertise as autistic individuals, just in a shorter time.

Another term that seems to be “autismified” is “stimming.” Yes, everyone stims to some extent, and it’s completely natural, but autistic individuals engage in more noticeable and intense forms of stimming. However, I’ve frequently read claims from people with ADHD who say that their stimming includes eating food or breakdancing, which doesn’t really make sense (unless it’s the same food every time, which I doubt, because that could easily be replaced with chewing gum or flavored lozenges). I’ve also seen cases where people with ADHD start stimming after seeing it on the internet. But if you have to consciously think about doing a stim, it’s not really a stim.

Additionally, I’ve noticed that people with ADHD are now talking about overloads or meltdowns. While it’s true that people with ADHD may struggle with sensory sensitivity, they don’t generally have the same issues with over- or under-stimulation as autistic individuals do. In recent years, I’ve seen people with ADHD explaining their sensory issues as if they were descriptions of autism, rather than ADHD. Now, we could argue that they might also have autism, but the descriptions they’re using aren’t fully accurate. I’ve never heard these specific explanations from diagnosed autistic individuals. For instance, there’s a misconception that autistic people experience all senses more intensely, but that’s not true. Rather, some sensory channels are over-stimulated while others are under-stimulated.

So, why have people started to explain sensory issues in terms that don’t really apply to autism or ADHD? This is something I’ve noticed among people with ADHD, and I get the sense that they want these two conditions to be as closely related as possible. Some even go so far as to claim that ADHD is just a milder form of autism.

I don’t think these people are intentionally being misleading or malicious. In fact, they probably truly believe they have these symptoms, to the point where they begin to experience them due to the power of suggestion. But what do you think? Am I wrong, or is there really a trend of pushing ADHD as a new form of autism, even though that’s scientifically inaccurate?

I would describe this “autismification” (if this even exists) as a unique form of self-diagnosis. It’s not a direct self-diagnosis, but rather a tendency to use the label “autism” regardless.

EDIT: I believe some people may have misunderstood my message. I didn’t mean to suggest that every person with ADHD is like this or that they can’t experience these symptoms. My point was more about the noticeable shift in how certain ADHD symptoms are being portrayed by many people.

For example, I’ve observed changes in the symptoms of people I know with ADHD, especially since they started thinking more about autism. This likely affects only a small number of individuals, but since ADHD is more common than autism, these instances can add up and seem more widespread.

I agree with all the responses I’ve received so far.